Kismet
by CJ.xox.Dancerella
Summary: Fate is a funny thing – you either believe in it, or you don’t. Despite the odds that are stacked against them, are Troy and Gabriella about to find out that there are things in life you can't control - things that are already mapped out...by destiny? T
1. Fates First Hand

"_**Kismet" **_**copyright © CJxoxDancerella. September 28th 2008.**

**This is a derivate piece of fiction featuring characters copyrighted and trademarked by Disney Enterprises Inc. It is based upon **_**High School Musical, **_**copyright 2006 by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., all rights reserved; and **_**High School Musical 2, **_**copyright 2007 by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., all rights reserved. The authors are not connected with nor is this work authorised by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., or any other motion picture studios. This work is solely intended for posting on Fanfiction, for the benefit and enjoyment of its intended audience. No commercial or financial benefit accrues or is intended to accrue to the author as a result of said posting. Any unauthorised copying or redistribution of this work might subject the party responsible for such unauthorized copying or redistribution to legal action by the owners of the aforementioned copyrights and trademarks.**

**TITLE: **Kismet

**AUTHOR: **Kylie (CJxoxDancerella)

**RATING: **M

**FEEDBACK: **Makes me pathetically hyper.

**DISCLAIMER: **The characters belong to Disney. And Kenny. I just borrow them and make them live out the plot bunnies that breed in my imagination.

**PAIRING/CHARACTERS: **Troyella. The usual suspects. Other randoms.

**SUMMARY:** Fate is a funny thing – you either believe in it, or you don't. Despite the odds that are stacked against them, are Troy and Gabriella about to find out that there are things in life you can't control - things that are already mapped out...by destiny? T&G

**Howdy Hey Hi! Yes it's me, with a brand spankin' new story! I've been itching to write for ages, but have had a plot-block somewhere in the old cranium that was not allowing me to think of any good topics to write about. However whilst walking my dog yesterday, this idea came to me and before I knew it I'd churned out two chapters, with ideas for many more to follow! **

**This story is set a few years into the future, when Troy and Gabriella are starting out their careers. The HSM trilogy happened, but our fav couple ended up at colleges on opposite sides of the country. That's all I'm gonna say for now, you'll have to read on to find out more!**

**I won't keep you here with my ramble much longer, apart from to say a huge thanks to my writing muse and partner in crime JESSA! Now without further ado...I hope you enjoy **_**Kismet**_**!**

**Kylie xox**

* * *

**Chapter One: Fates First Hand**

**kis-met**

_-noun_

1. fate; destiny.

2. a predetermined course of events.

...

Fate is a funny thing. It is something you either believe in, or you don't. It can be seen as a reason for the occurrence of happiness and good fortune, while on the other hand tragedies and bad fortune are often blamed on 'destiny dealing a bad hand'.

Gabriella Montez was a logical thinker. The 24 year old final year medical student was all about the facts – solid, rational, evidence-based data. It was how she had always been, and how she planned to remain. There had been one period of time back in high school where she thought that maybe fate wasn't such a bogus idea after all – maybe there really was some bigger plan, some reason for everything that happened in life. With one turn of events, however, her ideals fell firmly back into the field of non-believing: she was certain that every event was the fault of someone, and that the future happened because of the choices people made and the way they lived their day to day lives.

Troy Bolton was a man who walked the fine line between believing and non-believing. Ask the 25 year old basketball coach in front of his mates and he would scoff and tell you that any of that 'romanticised crap' was a load of bullshit – whatever happened happened, end of. But sometimes – mostly when he was alone and allowed his mind to wander back into the past – he wondered. Maybe there was a reason for people being in certain places at certain times. Maybe everything _did_ happen for a reason. Maybe someone somewhere knew how his life was going to turn out – even before he did.

No matter what they believed, however, the fact of the matter was that neither Gabriella nor Troy could ever have predicted the imminent crossing of their paths, and the turn of events that would result...

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM  
**

"Alright little princess Madilyn – you can go back to the playroom now! I'm so happy to see you looking so much better!" Gabriella said with a warm smile as she helped the five year old replace her purple zip up jacket and unplugged her IV pole so that Madilyn's mother could help her wheel it across the hall. She closed the young patient's file and turned to her nurse. "Chloe, could you please push another bag of fluids in an hour's time and then take half hourly obs for two hours afterwards. I would like her urine output monitored and noted for the next 24 hours and if it has reached an acceptable level, I will organise discharge papers."

Chloe nodded. "Of course. Anything else?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No, I think that about covers it. I'll see you later Chloe."

The nurse returned her smile. "Bye."

Gabriella dropped off her patient notes from the afternoon at the nurse's station and headed towards the doctor's office with a satisfied grin on her face. She was only two months off graduating from Harvard Medical School, and with each day of her final rotation at MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, she was becoming more and more confident in her skills as a doctor. She had recently been offered residencies in General Paediatrics at both MassGeneral and Children's Hospital Boston, as well as the Division of Emergency Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston. The decision she knew she had to make about which residency to accept had been weighing heavily on her mind, particularly of late – the acceptance forms were due early the following week.

"Good afternoon Doctor-Montez-to-be," Gabriella's supervisor, Dr Josephine Scarvo welcomed her as she knocked on the office door.

Gabriella laughed. "Hi Dr. Scarvo. I just came to hand in all my paper work from today and sign off," she explained, handing over her folder and rummaging in her bag for a pen. She signed off while her supervisor flipped through her notes from the day.

"I have to say, Gabriella – I'm very impressed with your work. You are going to make a wonderful doctor. Have you made your decision about which residency you will take after you graduate yet?"

Gabriella's cheeks glowed pink at the praise and she nodded. "I think so. I started filling out the acceptance papers for General Peads here at MassGen this morning."

"So you're not taking Emergency at Boston Children's?"

Gabriella shook her head. "I did consider it, but I don't think I'm ready – I mean I feel comfortable working the rounds of the wards now, but emergency medicine... it's a whole new ball game."

Dr. Scarvo nodded. "It is. I won't deny that it is like being thrown in the deep end, especially so soon after graduation. You would need to think on your feet and make decisions quicker than you have time to contemplate the outcome. But it is a challenge that I am completely positive you are ready for."

Gabriella smiled. "Thankyou Dr. Scarvo. But I'm not so sure I have the confidence just yet. I don't want to let anyone down, or worse – end up being responsible for someone's death."

"Well, as long as you are certain. You will do great things in any area, and we would feel privileged to have you on board here at MassGen, but I have a feeling you could really shine in Emergency."

Gabriella was adamant. "This is the right decision for me, I'm sure of it."

"Well you will do brilliantly. Anyway, I'd best be back to work, and I'm sure you have things you'd much rather be doing than hanging around a hospital, so enjoy your evening Miss Montez."

"You too," Gabriella picked up her jacket and satchel, poking her hands through the jacket's sleeves before slinging her bag over her shoulder and heading towards the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob before pausing and turning back towards Josephine Scarvo.

"I've made the right choice," she said, but suddenly she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince – her mentor, or herself...

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM  
**

The piercing trill of a whistle rang through the Fenway High School Gym. "All right gang, that's it for this afternoon," Troy called out to the under 9's team from the Boston Fireballs Basketball Club as they pounded across the floor and gathered in front of him. "You did great today, guys. I'm really happy with the way you are working together – awesome job. Ok, make sure all the balls are packed away before you leave and I will see you again next week."

The group of youngsters chorused their goodbyes, before grabbing throwing on their warm up gear, grabbing their gym bags and scuttling out of the gym, their shoes squeaking across the polished court.

"Oooh man, what a day," Troy sighed as he flopped down and sprawled flat on his back on the floor of the gym, staring into the rafters.

"Them under 12's were really giving you the attitude, little bastard's," Jefferson Amos – assistant coach for the Boston Fireballs – joked. "Horrible age."

Troy laughed half-heartedly, throwing his left arm over his tired eyes to block out the lights.

"Aaah, come on man – I'm sure you were a shithead of a pre-pubescent boy once upon a time."

"Who me? Never," Jefferson sniggered.

"Whatever dude," Troy rolled his eyes and clapped the AC on the back as he pulled himself up off the ground. "Thanks for your help today – you've been a god send, especially with those ratty under 12's and their rotten attitudes lately."

"Aaah, all in a day's work Bolton. Plus, I've had my fair share of practice – Mischa and Brandon were stinkers at that age too. And they still haven't grown out of it."

Mischa and Brandon were Jefferson's 15 year old twins. Brandon played for the Fireballs in the under 16's team, as well as his high school team. He had a lot of talent and a great deal of focus on his game – reminding Troy somewhat of himself at that age.

"Greeeeeat, looks like I've got to suck it up and strap myself in for the rollercoaster ride they like to call teenage hormones," he laughed.

"You know it," Jefferson retorted with a wink, locking the storage cupboard and grabbing his duffel bag. "Anyway, speaking of hormones, I'm outta here – Misch has a 'not-a-date, dad' tonight – some little fucker from school wants to take her to the movies and for ice cream. I want to be there when he comes over so I can try and figure out if I want to let him near my daughter, or if I should break all his bodily appendages one by one."

"Hey, play nicely Jeff," Troy teased. "You don't want Mischa to be known at school as the chick with the psycho killer old man now, do you? Go easy. And then if he breaks her heart, you can mess up his acne ridden little face."

"Oh the possibilities," Jefferson replied. "Right Bolton – have a good night."

"You too man, you too. Take it easy, I don't want to hear you've ended up in A&E having a cardiac arrest."

"Oh you are just too funny, look my ribs are aching I'm laughing so hard," Jefferson rolled his eyes. "Later dude."

"See ya," and with a _click_ of the fire doors, Troy was alone. Sighing, he dug around in his bag for his cell phone, and flipped it open.

_1 missed call. 1 new voice message._

Troy dialled the numbers required to retrieve the message and held the phone to his ear.

"_Hey hun, it's only me. Listen, I've been held up at the school so I won't be home until about 9pm. There's leftover frittata in the fridge, but you might want to stop by the store on the way home and pick up something to go with it. Oh, and some milk, we're all out. I'll see you when I get home. Love you."_

Troy sighed again as he closed his phone and tossed it into his bag, locking up the gym and walking across the car park to his car. He and Alexis had been together for the past eight months. Although they didn't officially live together, Alexis spent most nights at Troy's – partly to spend time with him, and partly to escape her painfully annoying flatmate Kaylee. Alexis was petite and beautiful, her chestnut coloured hair tumbling past her shoulders in soft waves, her wide eyes a startling green. She and Troy had met when Troy first made the move from California to Boston almost ten months ago. She was an English teacher at the school whose gym Troy utilised after hours to train his teams. About a week after Troy settled into his new apartment, he had attended a meeting with the principal of Fenway High School and had literally bumped right into Alexis on his way back to the car. Coffee had led to dinner and dinner had led to here, 8 months on.

He had been looking forward to chilling out with his girlfriend and a couple of movies tonight, but now she was stuck at the school until late. Troy remembered her complaining about the school board pushing for some new standardised literacy assessments, and he was fairly sure she had mentioned a meeting tonight that she anticipated dragging out.

Inserting his key into the ignition of his Prius, he indicated out of the high school carpark and headed towards the grocery store.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella sighed contentedly as the warm water soothed her tired body. Rinsing the shampoo and conditioner from her hair, she turned off the shower and stepped out onto the bathmat, wrapping herself in a soft, fluffy towel.

Moving through to her bedroom and slipping into a pale teal baby-doll dress over a pair of black capri length tights, Gabriella brushed out her damp hair and wandered into the kitchen, trying to decide what she felt like eating for dinner.

Opening the fridge, however, she discovered she really didn't have too much of a choice – all that she had in there was some cheese, a tub of passionfruit yoghurt, and half a carrot. The cupboard wasn't much more help – some Mr Noodles and a packet of stale peanut butter crackers.

Groaning, she grabbed her purse, phone and keys and locked her apartment door behind her, en route to the grocery store.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy locked up his car and headed towards the shops, the automatic doors swishing open to allow him to enter. He walked through the food court and into the grocery store, moving quickly through the aisles he needed, filling the plastic basket with a carton of milk, a tub of pasta salad, a pre-made Caesar salad, and some of Alexis' favourite strawberry sorbet.

He paid at the checkout before making his way back through the food court, grocery bags in hand. As he walked past the Baskin and Robins store, the lady behind the counter smiled.

"Excuse me, sir – would you like to try a spoonful of our new flavour? It's Choc-Caramel Surprise, and I can promise you, it is like nothing you will have ever tasted!"

"Eeh, why not?" Troy replied, accepting the stick she offered and licking the ice cream off the end. "Ooh, that is good. What did you say was in it again?"

"Well, it is caramel and chocolate ice cream swirled together with choc chips, peanuts and marshmallow."

"Hang on, wait...did you say peanuts?" Troy asked, his voice higher than normal, his throat raspy.

"Yes, sir. Caramel and chocolate ice cream, choc-chips, peanuts and..."

"Holy fuck."

That was the last thing Troy remembered, before everything went black.

* * *

**Yeah, so the cliffy queen in me has already reared her ugly head! There you have my first chapter – I hope you liked it, even though it was kinda just filling you in with the deets on what Troy and the Gabster are up to right now.**

**UP NEXT: Will fate step in to save Troy's life?**

**Please let me know what you thought!**

**Until next time,**

**Kylie xox**


	2. Fates Second Hand

**Hey everyone! Thankyou sooooooo much for all your reviews on chapter 1! I'm so excited to be posting a new story, but I was a bit nervous that - after all the amazing responses I got for Amazing Grace - that I wouldn't be able to measure up, and all your positive reviews just made me feel so much better!**

**I have a few mentions to make on this one - thankyou x a billion to Erin for helping me out with all the allergy related content of this chapter. You're worth your weight in gold, chicka. To Meg - aaw, my lil pocket rocket is all out of action! Hope your foot feels better soon! Magicslifr - your review was so flattering! Thankyou! And of course a shoutout to my Jessa for her betaing and all round awesomeness. Jess...I hope Charlay comes back to life soon, because it's only been one day and it sucks alreadyyyy!! Hehe. **

**Okies, on with the show - chapter two!**

**Kylie xox**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Fate's Second Hand**

Gabriella grumpily climbed out of her car and slammed the door shut, stomping towards the shops. The automatic doors opened with a hiss and she passed through them into the food court of the mall.

Shuffling along, Gabriella mentally ticked off the items she needed to purchase to prevent herself from dying of starvation before she had time to do her next big shop. She was pulled from her thoughts, however, when she heard a loud _thump_ followed by a female voice yelling for help.

"Somebody help! Quick! Somebody, I need help! Call an ambulance!"

Gabriella headed in the direction of the shouting, which seemed to be coming from Baskin and Robins. As she got closer, she could see a male figure sprawled on the floor, and a female employee of the ice cream store frantically yelling for help as she crouched over him.

"Oh shit," Gabriella swore under her breath. "What do I do?"

Suddenly, something inside her snapped. Without a second thought, she sprinted over to the man and moved the young girl out of the way.

"Just take a few deep breaths, sweetheart, it will be ok. Can you tell me your name?"

"Kaitlin. I didn't mean for...I didn't know...he just..."

"Kaitlin, it's ok – I need you to stay calm. My name is Gabriella, and I'm a...well, a doctor. I need you to tell me what happened, and call an ambulance."

Gabriella listened to Kaitlin as she checked that the young man's airways were clear of any foreign objects. His tongue was swollen, so she refrained from turning him on his back, keeping him on his side to check his breathing and searching for a pulse.

"Hello, hello can you hear me? My name's Gabriella, I need you to squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

No response.

"I gave him a taste test of this new flavour we're trialling. It's this try-before-you-buy promo we have running," Kaitlin said quickly. "He liked it at first but then he started breathing real funny, and asked me what was in it. I told him caramel and chocolate ice cream and choc-chips, peanuts and marshmallow. He started to panic when I told him peanuts and then he just collapsed."

Before Kaitlin had even finished talking, Gabriella had noticed large red hives spreading across the man's neck and chest, recognising the signs of an allergic reaction, and was looking around the shop. She spotted a satchel on the floor not far from the man.

"Is that his?" she asked.

"Uh huh," Kaitlin whimpered.

As quick as a flash, Gabriella grabbed the bag and emptied out its contents, hoping and praying that the man was aware of his allergy, and was vigilant about carrying an EpiPen with him. Right at the bottom of the bag she found what she was looking for, and without wasting any more time she stretched out the young man's leg, and jabbed the spring-loaded needle into his upper thigh. Hearing the click, she counted to ten before removing the needle and capping it, taping it to his leg in preparation for the paramedic assessment.

Placing a hand either side of the man's face, she looked at him properly for the first time as she watched and waited for some signs on life. She noted his breathing was beginning to regulate, his pulse was steadying, and – for a reason she couldn't quite place – his facial features were strangely familiar.

He began to stir beneath her, and Gabriella watched him intently as his eyelids twitched and fluttered, slowly opening to reveal two of the bluest...

Gabriella gasped. "Troy?"

Troy's hand slowly moved from his side to his head. "Wh...what happ...?" he struggled to speak as he gasped for air.

The medical professional in Gabriella pushed all feelings of shock and disbelief aside for a moment as she went into doctor-mode.

"It's ok, just take some deep breaths and stay calm. You had an allergic reaction to some ice cream with peanuts in it – it wasn't severe, but you panicked and collapsed. Do you remember where you are?"

"Uh..." he rubbed his head. "Shops?"

Gabriella nodded. "That's right. Now I need you to lay there as still as you can – the ambulance is on its way. You may have hit your head when you collapsed so it is possible you have a concussion. We'll get you to the hospital for a proper check up. Kaitlin, can you please get me some ice and a damp cloth?"

"I don't need to...woah..." Troy struggled against her and tried to sit up, but was overcome with a wave of dizziness. Gabriella helped him lay back down and placed the cool washcloth Kaitlin handed her across his forehead.

"Trust me on this on, ok."

Troy's vision began to clear as he lay back down and he looked up into the face of the woman who had come to his rescue. Her long, dark curls framed her face as she stared down at him, studying his pupils for signs of trauma. Suddenly he was struck by a bolt realisation and gasped.

"Are you ok, does it hurt somewhere?" Gabriella asked, her voice laced with concern.

Troy took in a big gulp of air. "Gabriella?"

Gabriella smiled softly. "You and peanuts still don't get along, hey Troy?"

Troy reached up and touched Gabriella's face – almost as if he was testing to see if she was just some sort of illusion, a mirage who had appeared in his dazed state. That had to be it, he decided – he was concussed and hallucinating. He closed his eyes and opened them again. She was still there.

"Gabriella?" he repeated. "It can't...how...?"

"Shh," Gabriella soothed. "We can talk later, but for now you need to stay calm and save your energy."

Troy opened his mouth to speak, but felt a wave of nausea rush over him and rolled sideways – away from Gabriella – vomiting all over the floor.

"The ambulance is here," Kaitlin shouted, running over to Gabriella and Troy just as Gabriella had grabbed an empty bucket off of the counter and helped Troy to sit up so he could get sick again.

"Thanks Kaitlin," Gabriella smiled warmly, squeezing the young girl's hand. "You were a big help."

"I'm sorry, Gabriella, I..."

"It's ok, Troy, just let me lay you back down – I'm going to let the paramedics look over you now, ok?"

After assessing Troy and speaking to Gabriella, the paramedics felt that he was ok but bundled him into the ambulance and sped off towards the hospital, as was the mandatory procedure. Gabriella followed in her car and rushed through the emergency department to the cubicle where Troy was resting up. He looked up as she slipped through the curtain.

"Hey," he breathed, still unable to believe that it was her after all these years.

"Hi," she greeted. "How's the head?"

"Just waiting for the doctor to come back, but I feel fine. I'm so lucky you were there...I owe you."

Gabriella smiled. "How about you repay me by keeping away from peanuts? I know you think you're indestructible, but you never know what a peanut will be hiding in these days."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Troy rolled his eyes jokingly.

Gabriella smirked. "Some things never change."

Troy was about to speak again when the curtain flew open and an attractive young woman who looked to Gabriella to be about her age flew in, followed by a doctor.

"Oh thank god you're alright," Alexis Meyer breathed, reaching Troy's side and taking his hand. "I was so worried!"

Gabriella backed quietly out of the cubicle as Alexis leaned over and kissed Troy gently on the cheek.

"It's ok Lex – I'm ok. I'm here, I'm ok," he reached up and stroked her cheek gently. Alexis covered his hand with hers.

"You certainly are a lucky young man – if Miss Montez had not been on hand to administer that dose of Adrenalin...Well, things could have turned out very differently."

Troy suddenly noticed that Gabriella was missing. "Hey, where did she go?"

Alexis dropped a kiss on Troy's forehead. "I'm going to go find her and say thank you while Dr Sawyer does his thing. I'll be right back."

Gabriella paced around and around the A&E waiting room, trying desperately to process the events of the day. Troy was in Boston. Her Troy was in Boston. '_My Troy?_' she thought to herself. '_What are you saying, Gabriella? He hasn't been yours for more than six years._'

She was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of footsteps echoing across the linoleum floor.

"Excuse me?"

Gabriella whirled around to see Alexis rushing towards her.

"You're the one who saved Troy right?" she asked breathlessly.

Gabriella felt her cheeks flush. "Uh, I guess...I...I just did what anyone would have, really."

"Hey, you're a hero in my eyes..." Alexis trailed off, waiting for Gabriella to fill her in.

"Gabriella," she held out her hand to Alexis. "Gabriella Montez."

"I'm Alexis Meyer – Troy's girlfriend. I just can't thank you enough for what you did today. I'm so, so grateful that you were there – I tell Troy all the time that he needs to be careful about what he eats, but do you think he will listen? He's so stubborn."

Gabriella felt a little faint herself. "Oh, really?" she replied vaguely, trying to work out why she was feeling bright green jealousy seeping through her veins – she and Troy were finished years ago. History. Done with. She was completely over him. Maybe it was just the shock sinking in. Yeah, she decided. That was it.

"I mean, he isn't so allergic that just touching peanuts triggers a reaction, but put even a single nut in his mouth and he's in trouble. He doesn't have severe reactions often, but I always make sure he has a Pen on him, even if I have to put them in his bags myself!"

Gabriella forced a laugh. "Well Alexis, it was lovely to meet you and I'm glad Troy is ok but I really should get going, so uh...tell Troy bye and, er..."

"Oh...well, thank you again – we really are in your debt. I shudder to think what would have happened if you hadn't been there. Can I at least get your phone number? I'm sure Troy will want to call and thank you himself once he's back on his feet in the next couple of days."

"Oh...sure, yeah that's fine, uh...here you go," Gabriella quickly scribbled her cell number on the back of a receipt she fished out of her purse and shoved it into Alexis' hand. "Um...well Alexis, I'm...yeah, I'm glad Troy is ok. I'll see you."

Gabriella hurried from the emergency room, wondering why she suddenly felt so rattled. Unlocking her car, she climbed into the driver's side and closed the door. Gripping the steering wheel and staring straight ahead at the wall of the parking garage, everything that had happened that evening hit her all at once and she burst into tears.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Saturday passed in a blur and before Gabriella knew it, it was Sunday afternoon and she was sitting in front of her laptop, trying to finish off her acceptance for the Residency at MassGen. But – much to her chagrin – her thoughts were elsewhere.

Ever since she had left the hospital Friday night, she had not been able to get Troy out of her head. His sudden reappearance in her life had thrown her into a spin, leaving her feeling rather perplexed – nothing caused Gabriella Montez to become flustered, but since seeing Troy again she simply could not concentrate on anything she needed to get done.

As if the object could read her thoughts, her cell phone began to buzz. She grabbed the phone as it danced across her desk. Noting the caller was a number she didn't recognise, she answered with a frown.

"Hello?"

"Gabriella?" a familiar male voice came down the line.

"Troy?"

"Yeah, it's me," he replied.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thanks to you. Hey, about that – I was just ringing to say tha...My god, Ella – I can't believe it."

Gabriella shivered at the sound of the nickname she hadn't heard in six years.

"I know," murmured. "It's...it's a big...shock," she decided.

"Listen, there's so much more I want to say and know - do you have time for coffee, say...now?"

Gabriella had to stop herself from stuttering a reply. "Uh, um...I...I don't know, Troy, I..."

"Come on," he persevered. "My shout. To say thanks for saving my life."

Gabriella sighed. "Ok. Is Second Cup Cafe ok? I can be there in 20 minutes."

"Sounds perfect. I'll see you then."

Gabriella dropped her cell on her chair as she pulled open her wardrobe doors and exhaled dramatically.

"What the fuck am I going to wear?"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy walked into Second Cup Cafe followed five minutes later by Gabriella, who – after much deliberation had settled on a pair of dark denim skinny jeans, a purple satin spaghetti strap top, and a long grey cardigan.

"Hey," Troy grinned as she spotted him, standing up to greet her.

"Hi," Gabriella replied, standing awkwardly in front of him, not knowing whether he was going to hug her, shake her hand, or kiss her cheek.

They stood there for a moment, looking anywhere but at each other, before Troy shook his head.

"Come here, you," he laughed, pulling her into a tight hug, which she returned – both of them choosing to ignore the tingle that teased every nerve in their body as their skin brushed. Pulling back somewhat reluctantly, both Troy and Gabriella took their seats, once again avoiding each other's gaze.

"Aaah, Gabriella Montez," Troy broke the silence, sighing with a smile after Jess – the waitress – had delivered their orders. "What have you been doing with yourself all these years?"

"Well, I graduate Harvard Medical School in 2 months," she replied. "And I've been offered three different residencies right here in Boston – 2 in general paediatrics at MassGen and Boston Children's, and one in Emergency at Boston Children's."

"Wow, Ella – that's fantastic, congratulations! Which one are you taking?"

Gabriella shivered once again at the sound of the word 'Ella' rolling from Troy's tongue. "General Peads at MassGen – I'm not ready for Emergency just yet."

"Are you serious Gabriella? You saved my life on Friday! And from what I hear, you were completely cool, calm and collected in a stressful situation – I'd say you're a complete natural."

Gabriella laughed embarrassedly. "It was nothing, really. Anyone with the right training and a conscience would have done the same thing, I'm sure."

Troy shook his head. "You have a gift, Montez. You were always something special."

Gabriella averted her gaze and Troy cleared his throat nervously.

"So, uh...what about you?" Gabriella asked after a moment. "Are you a big shot NBA star yet?"

"Sadly, no," Troy sighed. "I was pegged to be drafted to the Sacramento Kings straight out of college, but I blew out both knees second semester of my final year. I ended up having my right knee fully replaced, and surgery on my left as well to repair the damage. Months of physio built up some strength again, but...my game was never quite the same. They drafted the kid who didn't have a stainless steel patella."

"Oh," Gabriella murmured. "I'm sorry, Troy."

Troy shrugged. "It's fine. I've accepted it now. I couldn't stand to be in California anymore, though. I moved to Boston about ten months ago and took up a coaching position at the Boston Fireballs club. I'm really enjoying it there. I miss the adrenalin rush and excitement that comes with playing competitive ball, but I guess it just...wasn't mean to be."

"How did your dad take it?" Gabriella couldn't help but wonder aloud.

Troy snorted. "He acted like his whole world had fallen down around him at first. But I think mom might have had a few sharp words in his ear about my health coming before the game, because he calmed down a bit after that."

Gabriella smiled. "Good old Lucy. Your mom always did have a way with words, especially where Coach was concerned. How are they both, anyway?"

"Yeah, they are doing great. Dad's stepped down to Assistant Coach at East High...he had a big scare with his heart a couple of years back, and his Cardiologist forced him to cut back on his activity."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Is he ok now?"

"His heart is fine, but he is still bitter about being AC. Mom beats him into submission usually," Troy grinned and Gabriella laughed. "Mom's great though. Busy being the neighbourhood gossip, as usual. How about your mom – what's she up to these days?

Gabriella smiled fondly at the thought of her mother. "She's working hard as always. Amazingly, she's still in Albuquerque. She was seconded to Chicago in my sophomore year of college but was transferred back to Albuquerque a few months later. She hadn't even sold the house back home yet, she just moved right back in," she laughed and Troy joined in. Gabriella raised her cup to her lips and took a sip before replacing it in the saucer. "So, tell me about Alexis..." she said with a raise of her eyebrows.

Troy blushed. "We've been together eight months. She's an English teacher at Fenway High. You'd like her, Ella, she's fantastic."

Gabriella nodded politely, swallowing the sudden urge to throw up.

"What about you? Married? Kids?" Troy half teased, half wondered.

"God no," Gabriella scoffed. "No, I'm still very much...independent..." she finished quietly. "Anyway, I can't believe after all these years we've ended up in the same place," she mused, changing the subject and completely missing the look of subdued relief that darted across Troy's face.

"I know, it's incredible," Troy agreed. "I mean, I knew you were at Harvard, obviously, but my brain just never registered the fact that you were still studying and might happen to be settling down here – it's amazing we haven't bumped into each other before this."

Gabriella smirked. "And what a re-introduction it was. You always were a drama queen at high school," she teased. "You're just lucky I had absolutely no food in the house beside a packet of Mr Noodles! I didn't particularly fancy the taste of cardboard and hot water for dinner, so I was headed to the store."

"Hey, Mr Noodles are not just cardboard and hot water - they are cardboard, hot water and SALT, thank you very much!" Troy joked. "Pretty sure that covers at least two food groups!"

Gabriella laughed. This was the Troy she remembered from high school – the one who had made her laugh, who had made her forget about the stresses of the rest of her life. The Troy she knew before college got in the way. Her laughter turned into a deep sigh which did not go unnoticed by Troy.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he frowned, covering her hand with his.

She pulled it away, shaking her head. "Nothing. I was just thinking."

"About..."

"Old times. High school," she replied, her finger circling the rim of her coffee cup.

"Oh..." Troy looked down, the edge of his own cup suddenly extremely interesting.

"What happened, Troy?" Gabriella couldn't hold back the question that escaped her lips in a whisper. "What happened to us?"

* * *

**Oooh, what will Troy say to that? Hope you enjoyed that chapter :)**

**UP NEXT: Flashbacks, emotional apologies and confusion.**

**Until then,**

**Kylie xox**

**PS - Don't forget to review, yo :D**


	3. One Step Forward

**Hey everyone! Wow, I've exceeded 50 reviews in 2 chapters; I'm just blown away by all your awesome comments! You all **_**rock**_** big time! Thank you all so much for your support – it means so much to me! I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.**

**A few quick shout outs as usual – **_Corri_**, for always reviewing every single chapter of everything I write with so much enthusiasm and positivity. **_Erin_** for just being Erin, enough said. **_Dani_**, for jumping on board the Kismet ship – I love your work, girl! AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE! **_Lynn _**because your reviews always make me laugh. **_Kait _**– I was just writing the last chapter when I got your review for chapter one, so yes...she was your namesake! And last but not least **_Jessa_** for betaing and helping me out even though Charlay is so critically ill in the computer hospital. Miss you like you miss Charlay! **

**Ok, onto chapter three! Enjoy!**

**Kylie xox**

* * *

**Chapter 3: One Step Forward...**

"_On the count of three, ready? One...Two...THREE"_

_Troy and Gabriella tore into the envelopes that had been sitting on the table in front of them, pulling out the paperwork and hurriedly scanning the words on the pages – the pages that would decide their futures._

"_Where did you get?" they asked simultaneously. "You first!" they both laughed._

"_Rock, paper, scissors?" Troy suggested and Gabriella rolled her eyes with a smile._

"_Ok," she agreed._

"_Ready?"_

"_Uh huh."_

_They held their arms out in front of them, fists clenched. _

"_Rock, paper, scissors!" _

_Two papers._

"_Ok, go again. Rock, paper, scissors!"_

_Two rocks._

_They both groaned. "Ok, one more go. Rock, paper, scissors!"_

_One scissors, one rock._

"_Yes!" Gabriella exclaimed triumphantly._

_Troy cocked his head. "Babe, rock smashes scissors. You're sharing first."_

"_No, scissors cut...oh wait...crap..." _

_Troy laughed good naturedly and leaned forward to brush a kiss gently across her lips._

"_You're so cute," he whispered with a grin as she picked up her letter._

"_I got full ride to Harvard," she murmured._

_Troy couldn't help the tears that sprang to his eyes. He blinked furiously as he reached out his hand and cupped her cheek. He knew she would do great things at Harvard, but it was so far away..._

"_I'm so proud of you, Ella. You're gonna change the world one day."_

_Gabriella had already started to cry. Just for seeing the unshed tears in Troy's eyes, she knew he was going to be attending college somewhere that was a long way from Harvard._

"_You're not to college anywhere near Cambridge, are you?"_

_Troy shook his head. "No El. Berkeley – California. I got a scholarship as well."_

_Gabriella cried harder, and Troy moved forward and pulled her into his arms, rocking her back and forth._

"_Hey, shh – don't cry, Ella. Please don't cry. I can't stand the thought of not seeing you every single day, but we can do this. It will be ok, we will work it out. We're strong, aren't we? We can make this work, I know it," said Troy firmly – trying to convince himself as much as Gabriella._

"_Troy, we're going to be on opposite sides of the country," Gabriella sobbed. "What if w..."_

_Troy placed a finger over her lips, afraid to hear the rest of her sentence. "I love you, Ella. We can get through this. I can't bear the thought of life without you. We will get through this and have a long and happy future together."_

_Gabriella hiccupped softly and looked up at him, her eyes watery. "Promise?" she whispered._

_Troy nodded, kissing her forehead and pulling her back into his chest. "I promise."_

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's eyes bore into Troy's as her question caught him off guard.

"I...I, uh..." he stammered, before looking taking a breath and looking her square in the eye. "I loved you, Ella – I really did. I never wanted to hurt you. Knowing that I did tore me up inside. But being apart was hurting you too – hurting the both of us. I ended it when I did because I knew if we kept trying to make it work we'd only end up hating one another. And somehow the thought of ending things was less painful than the thought of it coming to that point."

"I loved you too, Troy," Gabriella murmured. "You hurt me. You hurt me so badly but as hard as I tried, I couldn't hate you. You were the reason I cried myself to sleep every night...but I still couldn't hate you. I think – deep down – I knew you were right. If we'd kept up the pretense that everything was ok...it would never have worked out."

Troy nodded, reaching over to give her hand a soft squeeze.

"I wish...I wish we would have kept in touch, though..." Gabriella's whisper was so quiet, Troy could barely hear her. But he knew exactly what she said.

Troy hung his head. Hearing her pain, seeing it in her eyes...it was bring back a whole lot of guilt and reminding him of his own hurt. "I know..." he eventually replied, his voice thick with regret. "And there is no excuse. I'm so sorry, Gabriella. I...I know I can't take back the past, but I need you to know...I thought about you every single day. Not one day has gone by in the past six years where I haven't thought about you – even if your name just crossed my mind briefly. I wondered where you were, what you were doing, if...if you were happy..."

"Troy..." Gabriella couldn't hold back the tears that sprung to her eyes as she listened to him speak, hearing the remorse in his words.

"...I hoped you were. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy Ella..."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella threw down her keys and handbag before sprawling flat on her back on her couch, and flinging an arm over eyes. Her hands hadn't stopped shaking since Troy had hugged her goodbye at Second Cup Cafe and she just couldn't stop running their conversation over and over in her head.

It had taken her a long time to get over Troy after they had broken up. Maybe it was because she felt like she had never really gotten any closure from the whole ordeal. Whatever the reason, all she knew was that she had holed herself up in her room for two weeks afterwards, and cried herself to sleep for much, much longer.

Now – quicker than she had had time to catch a breath – he had been catapulted back into her life, and she was finding that certain feelings which she thought she had buried six years ago were beginning to spark deep within her. Gabriella was actually annoyed by this – she had worked so hard to move on after the break up, to put the memory of him out of her mind, and - with one display of raw emotion and an apology on his behalf – her heart suddenly just wanted to forget the past (well, the bad bits anyway) ever happened, and welcome him back in to her life.

And - despite the fact that her head and her heart were in this huge battle over whether to jump right back into a friendship with Troy, or to forget she had ever run into him again and completely block him out of her life – Gabriella couldn't deny that she felt strangely as if a piece of herself that she hadn't even realised was missing had suddenly reappeared. Maybe that linked back to the whole never-really-getting-closure feeling – she just couldn't explain it.

What horrified Gabriella the most, however, was the fact that she knew a tiny part of her wanted him. Just wanted to forget the past six years ever happened, and throw herself into his arms. Arms that now belonged to someone else. Guilt snaked through her veins like ice for even thinking about being with Troy when he had made a life with someone else now. He was happy, and she knew she should be happy for him...but that part of her that just wanted Troy for herself also wanted to hate his girlfriend, even though she knew very well that she had not one good reason to.

"God Gabriella – put him out of your head or you going to drive yourself crazy," she groaned aloud. "There's no way Troy is sitting at home analysing every single freaking detail of our meeting, so just get a grip and forget about it!"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy pulled up in his parking spot in the basement of his apartment building, but made no move to get out of the car. Instead, he leaned forward so that his forehead rested on the steering wheel, and exhaled loudly. His heart was racing 1000 beats per minute, and his hands were shaking.

This shouldn't be happening – it _couldn't_ be happening. He loved Alexis. He was happy with Alexis – very happy. So why had he felt that jolt in the pit of his stomach when Gabriella had walked into the cafe earlier? And why did he feel that pang of longing after they had said their goodbyes, like he wished that he could keep her there for another hour...or longer?

Twenty minutes passed by, and still Troy made no motion to get out of the car. He knew Alexis was upstairs in his apartment – probably slaving away cooking to two of them something special for dinner – and he suddenly felt like he couldn't face her, not just yet.

How could he go up there and smile and laugh and kiss the woman he was supposed to be in love with, when he was wondering if there was a part of him that still loved Gabriella? In fact, Troy realised suddenly, deep down he had probably known all along that there was some part of him that had never stopped loving her.

What was he supposed to do? He knew that he did love Alexis. But was it the same love that he had once felt for Gabriella? The same love that he possibly _still_ felt for Gabriella?

Troy hit the steering wheel with his hand.

"Fuck," he swore aloud.

The sound of his own voice seemed to snap him back to reality, and he closed his eyes for a moment, gathering himself together before climbing out of his car and heading towards the stairs, which he took one at a time, stalling.

He reached his apartment door a few minutes later and let himself in, setting his keys down on the table inside the door and kicking off his shoes. He took a deep breath before heading through to the kitchen.

"Lex?" he called out.

"In here babe," she called back. "Hey you," she greeted him with a smile and a kiss on the cheek as he joined her in the kitchen.

Troy's stomach fluttered a little as her lips brushed his cheek, and the smile he returned was genuine. "Hey. How was your afternoon?"

"It was ok," Alexis shrugged. "I just did some shopping and then came back here to put dinner on. I'm making a lasagne and some salad."

"Sounds great," he replied. "Do you need any help?"

"If you could wash the lettuce and start chopping up some tomato that would be great. How was your afternoon, anyway?"

"Yeah, nothing too exciting. I spoke to Gabriella Montez – the woman from the mall the other day – to say thanks. I shouted her a coffee down the street. That's about it really."

"Well aren't you just a perfect gentleman," Alexis smiled. "She seemed like a great girl, that one."

'_Yeah,'_ Troy thought to himself. _'She is.'_

"I'm just so glad that she was there to help," Alexis said, abandoning her cheese grating to slip her arms around Troy's waist. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

Troy wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head, rubbing her back gently.

There was no doubt in his mind that he loved Alexis, but he hadn't stopped thinking about Gabriella ever since she had left the hospital on Friday and today's meeting had only fuelled those thoughts.

He had to know why.

He had to see her again.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella rushed into the hospital the next morning feeling rather flustered. She hadn't slept well the night before – tossing and turning while a million thoughts raced through her brain. She had snoozed her alarm six times before she managed to crawl out of bed and into the shower.

After drying her hair and throwing on her uniform, she had picked up the residency acceptance papers from her desk, and stared at them for a moment before ripping them up into tiny pieces and throwing them in the bin. Grabbing the forms for the Emergency Department residency, she quickly filled out her details before opening her acceptance letter for MassGen on her laptop, replacing 'General Paediatrics' with 'Division of Emergency Medicine' and 'MassGeneral Hospital for Children' with 'Children's Hospital Boston" and hitting print.

Once she'd made it down to the car park her car had refused to start, so she had had to jump in a taxi and pay a small fortune for her ride to work. She flew into Dr Scarvo's office with no more than 23 seconds to spare.

"I'm so sorry I'm..."

"Not late at all," Dr. Scarvo finished. "Breathe, Gabriella – it's ok!" she laughed, gesturing to the seat across from her desk.

Gabriella let out the breath she had been holding and sat down.

"So," Dr. Scarvo began, a hint of a smile tugging at the edges of her mouth. "Are they acceptance papers I see there?"

Gabriella nodded, sliding the folder across the desk towards her mentor. Dr. Scarvo opened it and looked up at Gabriella, her eyes sparkling.

"You've made the right choice," she told her, turning Gabriella's own words from the previous week on her. "You will do great things Miss Montez. Oh, and by the way – I heard about your brush with emergency on Friday night. Sometimes it takes a little nudge from fate to point you in the right direction."

Gabriella forced a smile, her mind working overtime. Dr. Scarvo would never have realised on how many different levels her words applied to Gabriella at that moment.

She stood up, scribbling her name and the time in the sign in sheet and picking her patient list for the morning.

"Not fate," she replied stubbornly as she headed towards the door. "Just coincidence."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy turned his cell phone over and over in his hands. He switched it on, switched it off, and switched it on again. He scrolled back and forth through his contacts list. He pressed the call button and then the cancel button. He looked at the clock. His finger hovered over the call button once more, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, hit call and put his phone to his ear. It rang twice before he heard the soft answer.

"Hello?"

"Gabriella..." Troy breathed.

"Troy? Is that you?" Gabriella's heart was pounding in her chest, the caller's identity taking her by surprise.

"Yeah...yeah, hi! Uh, how are you doing?" Troy fumbled, amazed he actually constructed any form of a sentence.

"I'm good, just taking my lunch break," Gabriella replied.

"Oh, that's good then..." a moment of awkward silence ensued.

"So, uh...Troy?"

"Uh huh?"

"Was there any particular reason you called?"

Troy was glad Gabriella couldn't see his face as he blushed a deep red. "Oh, uh, yeah...right. Umm...I was just wondering if, uh...if you wanted to meet up after you finish at the hospital today? You know...we still have a lot to catch up on."

Gabriella felt almost like she was going to be sick, but before her brain could process a response, she found her mouth was answering for her.

"Yeah...yeah, ok – I'd like that. I finish at 3pm."

"Great," Troy breathed. "How about Galliano's for afternoon tea at 4pm? They do a mean caramel swirl mud cake."

Gabriella was amazed – after all these years he still remembered her favourite dessert. "Perfect," she replied. "Oh hang on – I just remembered, my car wouldn't start this morning - I had to grab a taxi before I ended up late to work. So I might be a bit late, depending on what bus I can get on when I finish up here."

"You're not getting on a bus – I'll pick you up," Troy told her. "3pm did you say?"

"Oh – no, Troy. I don't want to be any trouble. I'm perfectly fine to jump on a bus or grab a taxi," Gabriella argued.

"Nope, you have no say. I'll see you at the front entrance of the hospital at 3pm. Have a good afternoon Ella."

And with that he was gone, leaving Gabriella to contemplate how she was ever going to stay focused during her afternoon rounds.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"My god – I'm completely stuffed," Gabriella moaned, setting her fork on her empty plate ad pushing it away from her. "You were right – that cake was amazing."

Troy swallowed the last mouthful of his French vanilla cheesecake and smiled at her. "Told you so."

"I handed in my residency acceptance today...I took Emergency at Boston Children's," she told him out of the blue.

"Gabriella, that's fantastic news! You will be incredible there, I know it. They are going to be lucky to have you."

"Yeah, well I was so convinced I wasn't ready, but...I don't know...I think the challenge will be good for me. I guess...I guess I just need to have a bit of confidence in myself."

Troy nodded. "That will come. Have a bit of faith. If it makes any difference, I believe in you."

Gabriella blushed and suddenly there it was again, that dreaded awkward silence where they avoided each other's eyes.

Gabriella broke it a moment later, instigating some small talk. "So...have you kept in contact with anyone else from school?"

Troy shrugged. "Kinda. Most of the guys are doing their own thing now. Chad graduated U of A and is playing ball for Albuquerque. We exchange the occasional email or phone call, but they are few and far between these days. What about you?"

"Taylor and I are still very close," Gabriella replied. "She's just started a research science position in New York, at Memorial Sloan Kettering. We take turns visiting one another during the summer, but we talk on the phone at least once a week."

"That's good to hear," Troy replied. "Chad used to always ask after her, you know, wanting me to get the gossip off you before we...well, before we...you know..."

More awkward silence, more avoiding of eyes.

"You know what?" Troy said suddenly, gathering up a dose of courage. All he knew was that he wanted the chance to spend more time with Gabriella – he had to know if his heart truly belonged to Alexis, or if he was unfairly pulling her along in a relationship where a piece of him was – and had always been – with someone else, even if he hadn't been conscious of that fact.

"What?" Gabriella asked, genuinely puzzled.

"There has to be a reason we bumped into each other again. I don't want to lose touch with you again, Ella. Can we try and put the past behind us? I don't expect you to just forget everything, just...can we try and rebuild our friendship? I really have missed you all these years."

Gabriella smiled shyly before nodding. "I'd like that. I missed you too Troy," her heart hammered away in her chest as Troy beamed. She took to repeating a new mantra over and over in her head. '_Just friends – he has a girlfriend. He just wants to be friends, remember. Just friends – he has a girlfriend. You can do this, Gabriella. You can be his friend.'_

The drive home was mostly in silence, but it seemed to be a much more comfortable silence than it had been. Internally, however, Gabriella was battling with several different emotions.

Sitting like this, in the passenger seat of his car, him driving with one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting lazily in his lap...it reminded her of their teenage years. At 18 they had thought that life was so tough...but really, they didn't have a care in the world. They had each other and that was enough. Oh how Gabriella wished things were that easy now. Her emotions were a mess and she couldn't work out what the heck she was supposed to be feeling. She was just so confused.

On the outside, Troy seemed completely cool, calm and collected, but he had his own internal battle still raging. He had asked her out for cake this afternoon so that he could decide once and for all whether the strange feelings he had surfacing were simply attributable to the shock of seeing her again, or whether it was something more. But the meeting had left him even more uncertain. Everything she did was just so flawless. But then there was Alexis' face right behind his eyes when he closed them – sweet, loving, beautiful Alexis.

He didn't even realise Gabriella was talking to him until she repeated his name.

"Troy? This is me, right here," she pointed to the white apartment block and he pulled the car into the sidewalk. "Hey, thank you so much for the lift, and the cake."

"No problem," Troy replied. "It was my pleasure."

"So we'll have to catch up again soon, huh? Bring..." she swallowed. "...bring Alexis next time. I'd love to meet her properly. Troy? _Troy?_"

Troy wasn't 100 percent sure what came over him. All he knew was that he was hit by a sudden overwhelming impulse, and he just had to do it.

He slid two fingers beneath Gabriella's chin, leaned over and kissed her.

* * *

**Oooooh, dadadaduuuuuum! So that's three for three as far as cliff hangers go! I'm sorry! Anyway, hate for that aside, I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter :)**

**UP NEXT: The aftermath of The!Kiss, and an unexpected visitor shows up.**

**Thanks again for the reviews, please keep them coming!**

**Love you all,**

**Kylie xox**


	4. Two Steps Back

**A pretty short chapter for you all before I jump on a plane for Adelaide after work tomorrow. Thanks so much for all the reviews! Hope you like this chapter! Sorry it's so short. I just wanted to end it where I did. And it's just been one of those days...a child died at work and urgh...but anyway, I'm looking forward to my trip and I'll be back in 5 days! (Miss you JESSAAAAA!!) **

**Kylie xox**

* * *

**Chapter Four: ...Two Steps Back**

Gabriella initially froze when his lips brushed hers, but all of a sudden she wasn't in the front seat of his car, having only just found him again after six years – she was back in high school, melting into the kiss and sliding her arms up his chest and around his neck.

Troy could feel his heart pounding in his throat, adrenalin coursing through him as Gabriella responded to his kiss. His body took on a mind of its own, his tongue gliding across her mouth, her lips parting in response.

As she leaned in closer to Troy, Gabriella's arm bumped the gear stick and that was the trigger that snapped them both back to reality. Gabriella jumped back like she had been burnt and Troy suddenly felt as though he'd been punched in the gut.

"Fuck," Troy swore under his breath. "I...I'm...I'm so sorry, Ella, I...I don't...Shit."

Gabriella's eyes were filling with tears. "I'm...I've...I have to go," she grabbed her bag and climbed out of the car, closed the door and raced into her building in such a hurry she almost tripped over trying to get in the door.

Once inside, she tore through the lobby and over to the elevators, pressing the 'up' arrow. When it didn't light up she pressed it again...and again and again and again. Swallowing the urge to scream, she backed up and ran into the stairwell, tears blurring her vision as she ran up and up until she reached her floor. Standing in front of her door she tried to put the key in the lock but her hands were shaking so much she couldn't turn it. She jiggled and jerked the key around desperately, trying to get the door open until it became too much. Blinded by her tears, she hit the door in frustration before turning her back to it and sinking to the floor, sobbing into her hands.

Troy watched her in a daze until she disappeared inside, his hands shaking and his head spinning. Turning his eyes to the road, he put the car into gear and pulled out in the traffic.

Speeding down the highway, Troy's mind was buzzing and he felt sick to the stomach.

"I kissed her. I kissed Gabriella. I kissed another woman. I kissed someone who isn't Alexis. But I love Alexis. I love her. But Gabriella..." he rambled to himself like a crazy man. He didn't even notice his face was wet with tears. "I kissed her...I kissed another...Oh God."

With a lurch of the wheel, Troy pulled his car over to the curb, climbed out and threw up in the bushes.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Taylor McKessie had never been one for spontaneity. Every single event in her life – from the mundane tasks of her daily routine, to vacations, to dinner dates, to shopping trips – was planned with meticulous attention to every single detail.

However, earlier that morning when she had awoken to her alarm and began to get ready for work, she realised - just as she was about to step in the car – that she had the entire week off. The research labs at Sloan were being renovated, and - rather than finding homes for the 50-odd displaced research scientists and assistants – her manager had closed the research wing completely, instructing them all to return to work the following Monday refreshed and ready to knuckle down to some serious life-changing investigations.

She was therefore left feeling rather unsettled – she had a whole seven days stretching ahead of her and absolutely nothing planned. Perturbed, Taylor changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and grabbed a bucket of cleaning supplies from under the kitchen sink, heading towards the bathroom. As she passed through her bedroom, she stumbled and bumped her dresser. A photo frame sitting atop the drawers fell off, tumbling to the floor where the glass shattered. Sighing, Taylor picked up the wooden frame and the picture. Turning it over she realised it was a photo of her and Gabriella taken the previous summer. The two had decided to abandon their tradition of visiting one another during the summer, and had instead vacationed together in Costa Rica. The picture showed the best friends smiling happily, skin sun-kissed and eyes bright, the ocean sparkling in the background. They had taken the picture themselves, so it was on a slight angle and a little off centre. Taylor loved it. She had given Gabriella an identical framed copy for Christmas.

Gabriella.

Struck by a bolt of impulsiveness for probably the first time since high school, Taylor opened her laptop, trawled Google until she found a website which could offer her a suitable flight at a decent price, entered her credit card details and confirmed, closed her laptop, dragged out her suitcase and threw in a few changes of clothes, and headed to the airport.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy was pacing back and forth across the lounge room of his apartment. What the hell had come over him? One minute everything's great – he was in a fantastic relationship with a wonderful partner, working a job he loved (most of the time) which allowed him to instil his passion for basketball within the youngsters who were the future of the sport, the woman whose smiling face he had missed every day for the past six years had returned to his life, and they had agreed to try and rebuild their friendship. The next moment a stupid snap decision made in the heat of the moment had the potential to bring it all crashing down around him.

He had probably completely ruined things with Gabriella – he wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to lay eyes on – let alone speak to - him ever again. Hell, he couldn't even stand to look at _himself_ right now.

Then there was Alexis. Troy didn't even want to _begin_ to contemplate the overwhelming sense of guilt he was going to feel when he came face to face with her. He already felt sick to the stomach at the thought of his betrayal – the thought of having to look her in the eye and know that he had kissed someone else... He really hated himself right now. He couldn't remember another time where he had felt so completely disgusted in himself. And the worst part – the thing that sickened him the most – was that, despite everything, Troy desperately wanted – _needed_ – to see Gabriella again.

"Troy?"

Troy ceased his pacing of the lounge room carpet, freezing on the spot as the familiar sweet voice rang through the apartment. He swallowed hard, running his hands through his hair and over his face and taking a deep breath as he prepared to greet his girlfriend.

"Hey," he smiled at her as Alexis poked her head around the corner.

"Oh, there you are!" she exclaimed, her face brightening.

"Yeah, sorry...I was a million miles away," he apologised lamely, moving to wrap her in a hug.

"It's ok," Alexis replied as she snuggled her head into the crook of his neck. "How was your day?"

"Yeah, it was ok. Long. Full of teenage attitude. Just the usual, really."

"Poor baby," Alexis joked, taking his hand and leading him over to the couch. She positioned herself slightly behind him, and began to massage his shoulders gently. "Wow, you are really tense," she commented. "Luckily I brought over your favourite Japanese take out, seems like you need a completely chilled out night in."

Troy felt like he might cry. Or throw up again. He didn't deserve her. Covering her hands with his, he removed them from his shoulders, turning and wrapping her in another tight hug. "I don't deserve you, Lex."

Alexis laughed. "Don't be stupid, of course you do."

"I love you," he told her, softly kissing the side of her head before pulling her back into him.

"I love you too."

Lucky for Troy, Alexis was quite content with her head resting on his shoulder. If she would have looked up, she would have noticed the single tear that slipped down his cheek, splashing onto his arm where it dried as quickly as it had fallen.

If only all of life's' problem's were that easily solved.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Taylor huffed and puffed as she dragged her suitcase and hand luggage up the stairs of her best friend's apartment block, after a heated argument with the doorman over the broken down elevator.

"Jesus Gabriella, trust you to live on the eighth floor of an apartment block where the freaking elevator breaks down the day I arrive," she moaned to herself, hauling the luggage out through the heavy fire doors at the eighth floor exit of the stairwell and into the corridor.

Taylor was so busy grumbling under her breath that she didn't notice the trembling figure huddled – rocking back and forth - in the doorway to Gabriella's apartment until she almost tripped over her.

"What the _fuck_ are...Gabriella?" she trailed off, bewildered.

Gabriella slowly raised her head at the sound of her best friend's voice until her tear filled, blood shot eyes met Taylor's chocolate brown ones. Taylor gasped at the sight of the black rivers of mascara that streaked down Gabriella's face, the stray curls that clung to her wet cheeks, the swollen rims of her eyes, but most of all at the look of sheer distress, anguish, misery and pain that haunted her usually exuberant features.

"Taylor?" Gabriella whispered hoarsely.

"Gabriella...oh, honey..." Taylor abandoned her luggage and immediately crouched down next to broken girl, pulling her into her embrace and rocking her back and forth as she began to cry again. "Honey, what's wrong? What's happened? Gabi, talk to me."

Gabriella was sobbing far too hard to even contemplate speaking right now. Her breath was coming in short, ragged gasps as her chest hitched between sobs. She was breaking her heart right there in the doorway, her legs splayed sideways, her body leaning into Taylor's.

"Gabi, you're starting to scare me...please talk to me," Taylor pleaded after a moment. Gabriella was crying so hard she was almost hyperventilating, and Taylor was worried she would pass out if she kept it up much longer. "Ok, come on – let's at least get you inside," Taylor suggested.

Not even waiting for Gabriella to reply, Taylor stood up and turned Gabriella's key – which was still dangling from the lock – to open her apartment door. Ignoring the luggage and Gabriella's bag, she hooked her arms through Gabriella's and pulled her too her feet. Gabriella could barely support her own weight she was shaking so much, but Taylor managed to get her from the doorway through to the couch, where she sat her down and then stood back observing her friend, who was perched on the edge of the couch, her arms wrapped around herself, body shaking to the point her teeth were chattering, her gaze fixed on the wall in front of her.

'_Ok, I'm going to try this one more time,'_ Taylor thought to herself. "Gabriella...Gabi, I'm really worried about you now – can you _please _tell me what's wrong?"

Painstakingly slowly, Gabriella turned her head until she was looking directly at Taylor. Her lips moved, but the whisper was so soft, Taylor couldn't hear what she said even if she strained her ears. Moving to crouch in front of her, Taylor took both of Gabriella's hands in hers.

"Gabi..."

"He's back, Tay..." Gabriella's voice was scratchy and strangled. "He's here... He's...Troy..."

* * *

**Ok so now I'm leavin' on a jetplaaaane, don't know when I'll be back agaaaain...well, actually...I'll be back late Monday night but anyhooo...**

**Hope you all liked this chapter, even though it was short and not a great deal happened!**

**UP NEXT: He mopes, she mopes, everyone mopes.**

**Don't forget to review! Mwah!**

**Kylie xox**


	5. A Friend In Need

**Well, I can't really form a coherent sentence after the amazing hotness witnessed at the LA HSM3 Premiere earlier, and the awesome Live Chat that went off over at the ZA Forums (shout out, yo!) so I am just going to post this chapter with a special holler out to Dani and Ellie – 24 sleeps ladies!! Yes, the three of us will be rocking it at the red carpet of the Sydney HSM3 premiere! Yeeeeahyah!! Can't wait! **

**Thanks so much to Dani for helping me out with this chapter while ma home-girl Jessa is in the tragic world of Lappylessness! Your input was invaluable, chick! Can't wait to meet you in 24 sleeps!**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter! Don't hate me for the cliffy (again)!**

**Kylie xox**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"Woah, woah, woah, woah...wait right there for just a second," Taylor interrupted Gabriella, holding her hand up, signalling for her to stop talking. Taylor had managed to calm Gabriella down to a point where she was collected enough to speak more than a few words, and the two were now sitting back on Gabriella's couch, each clutching a steaming mug of coffee. "So you're telling me you _saved his life_?" if Taylor had been shocked to hear that Gabriella had come face to face with her ex-lover once more, she was _floored_ to hear the circumstances surrounding the reunion.

Gabriella shrugged. "I did what any decent person would have done. It just...didn't hurt that I'm almost a doctor, so I kinda knew what I was doing. I didn't even realise who it was at first – I was just focused on helping him. It wasn't till he started to come 'round that I realised...When he opened his eyes I..." her breath hitched again and Taylor rubbed her arm.

"It must have been quite a shock," she murmured.

Gabriella snorted. "That's the understatement of the year," she commented with a half hearted laugh.

"Maybe so," Taylor replied. She knew her friend better than that, however. She knew there was a deeper issue here. "But something tells me that it is more than the shock of seeing Troy Bolton again that got you into this state. I'm not really accustomed to finding my best friends sobbing and shaking uncontrollably on their doorsteps just because they found out their ex-boyfriends were in town. Besides – you told me all this happened on Friday, right? Well it's now Monday night so, sister, unless you've been sitting outside your door for three days...you've got some more explaining to do."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy put the last of the now clean dinner plates back in the cupboard and hung the slightly damp dish towel up to dry. He wiped down the benches with sponge from the sink, before rinsing it out and setting it next to the tap. Grabbing a dust pan from under the sink, Troy swept piles of nonexistent dirt from the floor. Returning the dust pan, he flipped the lid on the trash can and removed the bag – even though it was only half full – and tied it off, sitting it up on the bench. He rifled through the drawers for a new bin liner, and carefully set it in the bin before closing the lid. Picking up the empty takeaway containers and the half empty bag of trash, he let himself out of the apartment and – walking straight past the rubbish chute - took the stairs...slowly...one at a time...down to the dumpster in the basement. He tossed in the trash and then made his way...slowly...one at a time...back up the stairs to his apartment.

Yes, he was stalling and he knew it. He knew perfectly well that Alexis was sitting patiently in his living room, watching Friends and waiting for him to finish washing up the dinner dishes – a whole 2 plates, 2 cups, and 2 sets of chopsticks – so that they could settle in to watch a movie together. He was well aware of the fact that it had taken him 37 minutes to complete a task that should have taken 5. He vaguely wondered if Alexis had noticed and gone looking for him while he was downstairs. She wasn't stupid – if she hadn't yet noticed that something was off with him it wouldn't be long before she did. And she would call him out on it too – that was something that Troy and Alexis prided them on in their relationship: openness and honesty.

Honesty.

Troy suddenly felt queasy again, and steadied himself on the concrete wall of the stairwell before continuing his upward journey.

Eventually he reached his apartment door, and realised he had locked himself out. He knocked, sighing at his own stupidity.

"It's just me, Lex. I locked myself out."

He heard soft footsteps padding across the wooden floorboards of the apartment entryway before the door opened with a click.

"There you are!" Alexis laughed. "I was starting to wonder if you had been sucked down into the garbage disposal."

Troy managed a weak grin. "Nah, I finished in the kitchen and went to take the trash out. But I forgot to take the key."

Alexis smiled and shook her head. "What are we going to do with you, Bolton?" she joked, taking his hand. "Come on – it's your pick for the movie tonight."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Yesterday we had coffee – nothing untoward to it you know, he just wanted to say thanks for Friday is all," she looked at her best friend, who nodded. "We talked about a lot of the things that had been on our minds since...well, since we broke up. And it felt good – it felt like I had answers."

"And today?" Taylor queried, needing to know more.

Gabriella looked at her feet. "He called me while I was on my lunch break. He wanted to meet up for cake and coffee when I finished work – he said we still had so much to catch up on. Which was totally true, everything that has happened for us the past six years..."

Taylor squeezed her Gabriella's hand. "And you really wanted to see him again, didn't you?" she probed gently. She knew her best friend – sometimes better than she knew herself. They were as close as sisters. Out of the entire Wildcat gang, they were the two whose friendship had lasted the distance. Taylor knew better than anyone just how in love with Troy Bolton Gabriella had been through their final years at high school and into their freshman year at college, and how much it devastated her when they broke up. She also knew that – no matter how much Gabriella denied it – she had never _really_ stopped loving him.

Gabriella closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Yes," she replied in a whisper.

"So what happened?"

"My stupid car wouldn't start this morning. Urgh, which reminds me, I'll have to book it into the shop...but anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah...Troy said he would pick me up from work," Taylor raised an eyebrow and Gabriella rolled her eyes. "It was nothing, he just didn't want me to have to grab a taxi or catch the bus. So he picked me up and we went to Galliano's for afternoon tea – you know that dessert place downtown? We had a really great afternoon, you know? We just talked and laughed and it was almost like old times...we...we decided to work on rebuilding our friendship – we agreed we both wanted that. I missed him so much, Tay – you know how much I missed him."

Taylor nodded, tucking her friend's hair back away from her face as it began to cling to the fresh tears on her cheeks.

"He missed me too, Taylor – he told me he thought about me every day," Gabriella said through her tears. "Everything was going so great but then...but then..." she trailed off, trying to control her breathing before it escalated into full blown hyperventilating again.

"Shh, honey, it's ok – it's ok, just take your time," Taylor soothed.

Gabriella took a deep breath. "We pulled up outside my building and I said something about us catching up again soon, and that he should bring Alexis next time, because I'd like to meet her properly and then...and then the next thing I knew heleanedoverandkissedme," Gabriella finished in a rush.

"He _what_?" Taylor asked, unsure if she heard correctly.

"He kissed me," Gabriella confirmed. "Well...he instigated it, but I let it continue."

Taylor held back a squeal – she couldn't help but be excited. Troy and Gabriella had always been the 'fairytale' perfect couple, so – to her – the idea of a reunion was inspiring. In fact, she was pretty sure a vision of white dresses, bouquets and champagne flashed before her eyes momentarily. "And this is bad _how_?" she asked, before pausing thoughtfully for a second. "Wait, Alexis? Who is Alexis?"

Gabriella's tears began once again. "Alexis...Alexis is Troy's girlfriend."

"Oh..." Taylor's hand covered her mouth. She hadn't anticipated that in her big white wedding daydream.

"They've been together eight months..."

"_Ooh!_" her eyes bulged. _Definitely _hadn't anticipated that.

"Oh god, Taylor – I'm such a home wrecking whore! I should have pushed him away; I shouldn't have let it happen. I shouldn't have even met up with him again; I must have said or done something to lead him on... I should have just said no when he called me today," she paused for a moment, lowering her head into her hands. "But most of all, I shouldn't be feeling like I enjoyed that kiss...or wondering why it felt so right...or wishing that it could happen again..."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Alexis began to laugh as she watched her boyfriend sitting on the floor in front of his DVD cabinet, a selection of possible movie choices spread out on the floor around him.

"Come on, I would kinda like to get this going before next week," she teased.

"Alexis, picking a movie takes a lot of careful consideration – weighing up the pros and cons. It's an exact science," Troy informed her.

Alexis rolled her eyes and laughed again. "Troy, it's not like you're choosing a college – it's just a movie!"

"Patience, grasshopper. Patience."

"Much more patience and I'd be ready for sainthood!"

"Alright, alright I'm choosing, I'm choosing," he closed his eyes and waved his finger around before pointing down and letting it land on a random cover.

"So much for an exact science," Alexis joked as Troy opened his eyes and looked at what movie he'd picked.

Notting Hill.

Troy's blood ran cold.

_Gabriella's sweet giggle echoed through the living room. "So, Wildcat – what movies did you pick?" _

_Friday nights were tradition – one week they'd hang out at her house and the movies were his choice, the next we'd hang out at his house and the movies were her choice. _

_Troy grinned. "Surprise."_

_Gabriella pouted. _

"_Don't even try the eyes on me, Ella. I'm not looking!"_

_She tried the eyes anyway._

"_I'm putting on the movie...not looking...I won't look..." sheer willpower was the only thing that allowed him to pop the disc into her DVD player without looking around._

_The opening credits started. _

"_X-Men? Tro-oy," she groaned. "We've watched this seventy billion times!"_

"_Seventy billion?" he teased. "Hey, come here - it's not all doom and gloom! We get to cuddle!"_

_Gabriella sighed and leaned into Troy, allowing him to wrap his arm around her. _

_10 minutes into the movie she was struck by a sudden bolt of genius._

Hiccup. _She imitated the noise and action perfectly._ Hiccup. _Troy laughed._

"_Hiccups babe? Sit tight, I'll get you some water."_

_Brilliant, Gabriella thought to herself. As soon as he was out of sight she jumped up, ejected the DVD, stuck in a new one, pressed play, and sat back in her spot on the couch. _

"_Here you g...hang on a minute...Gabriellaaaa – Notting Hill? We've watched _this _seventy billion times!"_

_Gabriella smiled up at him sweetly. "But it's my faaaaavourite."_

"_Double standards," Troy muttered._

_Gabriella nudged him. "You know you love it."_

_He rolled his eyes. "You're lucky I love YOU," he said with a smirk, pinning her down on the lounge before leaning over and kissing her._

"Ooh, yeah – I love Notting Hill!" Alexis exclaimed.

"Ahhh...you know what? I'm not really in a Notting Hill kinda mood. What about...uhhh..." he picked up a random DVD cover, "Sweet Home Alabama? Yeah. That one. S'good!"

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Is everything ok Troy? It's just you seem a little...on edge tonight."

Troy sighed, rubbing his forehead and moving to sit next to her on the couch. "Yeah, sorry...I just...I just have some stuff on my mind I guess. I...Lexi, I need to tell you s..."

"Urgh, hold that though," Alexis groaned as her phone rang and she raced into the kitchen to grab it from her bag.

Troy flopped back against the lounge with a sigh. Was that a sign not to tell Alexis everything, like he had been so close to doing?

She soon came back into the room in a rush, looking flustered. "That was Annika" she said, referring to her sister. "Callum slipped in the bathroom and they think he might have broken his arm. She and Paul are going to take him to A&E for an x-ray, and they need me to go over and watch Mollie and Tia. Sorry babe, can I take a raincheck on the movie?"

"Of course, of course," Troy said, helping her get her things together and walking her to the elevator. He leaned down and kissed her quickly. "I'll call you later and see how everything is. Love you."

"I love you too," she replied, blowing him a kiss before disappearing into the elevator.

Once she was gone, Troy scuffed his feet as he walked back into his apartment and straight to his bedroom where he fell back on the bed with a frustrated grunt.

All he wanted to do was call Gabriella and see if she was ok. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He felt so guilty and so ashamed about what he did and devastated about how it would affect Alexis, but he was worried about Gabriella too.

He closed his eyes, but Gabriella's face flashed in front of him – full of confusion, hurt and upset – and he opened them again really fast.

He grabbed his phone and typed out a text message, read it over and then deleted it, throwing his phone down on the bed beside him.

He desperately wanted – _needed _– to see her, to see if she was ok, but he had no idea how he could convince her to speak to him again.

"Bolton, you're a fucking wanker!" he groaned, throwing his pillow at the wall, rolling his eyes when it hit a framed Lakers jersey and knocked it so that it hung crooked. "A _fucking wanker_."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

The next couple of days passed relatively quickly. Gabriella had Taylor and the hospital to keep her mind off Troy, but she still found her thoughts slipping to him whenever she had two seconds of downtime. Troy was trying his hardest to keep himself occupied and to put on a front around Alexis so that she didn't pick up on the fact that he was absolutely tying himself in knots on the inside.

By Thursday morning both of them had driven themselves to breaking point.

Gabriella felt horrible about what had happened because she knew Troy had a girlfriend and – no matter how much she felt like she wanted it to happen – she knew she should have never responded to the kiss. But no matter how torn up she was inside about kissing someone else's boyfriend, there was still that nagging part of her that knew it just felt right...

Troy felt terrible about the whole situation because he had hurt two people – even though Alexis didn't know it. He desperately wanted to know if Gabriella was mad or upset or hurt...and apart from knowing if she was ok, there was a piece of him that just wanted to see her – simply just wanted to see her.

Gabriella spent the morning at work mentally planning out a phone call to Troy, imagining what she would say and how he would respond to it. But she didn't need to worry, because Troy beat her to it. When she grabbed her phone out of the locker and headed downstairs for her lunch break, she realised she had a new text message...from Troy.

_Ella...I'm so sorry about everything and I understand if u don't want 2 but I think we really need 2 talk. I finish work at 5 2day...please can I c u?_

Gabriella's breath caught in her throat and she suddenly felt incredibly apprehensive, wondering if she could delete the text and pretend like she never got it. She knew what she had to do though – she had learnt from living six years with no closure. Her fingers whizzed over the keypad of her phone as she quickly typed a simple reply

_I agree...we need 2 talk. Come by mine after work. Level 8 apartment 3..._

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Honey, are you sure you want to do this?" Taylor asked Gabriella the next morning as she paced in the footsteps of her best friend who was trying to get ready to leave for the hospital.

"I have to Taylor – I have to set things straight with Troy and apologise for being such a whore," Gabriella replied, her expression a mixture of both utterly certain and completely unsure.

"Gabi," Taylor glared at her. "You're anything but a whore. You're the furthest thing from a whore I've ever met, for Christ's sakes. Do you want to know what I think?"

"I have a feeling I'm going to hear it anyway," Gabriella muttered.

"Touché," Taylor replied with a smirk "I think that neither of you really _truly_ got over one another and subconsciously – way down deep – you both know that."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Taylor, please – I got over Tr..."

"I'm not finished," Taylor cut her off. "You and Troy ended unexpectedly – there was no big fall out, no fighting, no reason for your feelings to have abated."

"Besides the fact that the guy called me up and dumped me over the phone from the other side of the country," Gabriella noted dryly.

Taylor paused for a moment. "Well, if we overlook that one..._minor _infraction...Look, I know seeing Troy again was a huge shock to you and it has stirred up a lot of memories and emotions – and that's only natural. But you and Troy...what you guys had was real, and strong, and true – and with neither of you having ever gotten any real closure on the relationship...I wouldn't mind betting that Troy is feeling just about the same way as you."

Gabriella sighed. "Taylor, I know you're only trying to help, but no matter what you think and no matter...no matter how I may or may not be feeling...that kiss was wrong and it can't happen again," she said stubbornly, turning away to locate her toothbrush, whilst thinking to herself '_no matter how much I want it to...'_

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Alright, I'm off. Have a great day," Alexis said with a warm smile, leaning over the breakfast bar to kiss Troy goodbye.

She had surprised him that morning by dropping in with blueberry bagels and Troy's favourite double shot hot chocolate for breakfast, but was now on her way to school.

"What's on the agenda for tonight?" she asked.

"Uh...well, I have some stuff to do after work, actually. Just errands to run, you know. But I could, uh...I could pick you up on the way home and we could go out for dinner?" he asked quickly, hoping to avoid any questions about the nature of his 'errands' from Alexis. "I was thinking maybe Martinez's at say...7.30pm?"

Alexis grinned and kissed him again quickly. "Sounds fantastic. I'll see you then!"

"Have a wonderful day, babe," Troy told her as he let her out of the apartment, watching until she was swallowed by the elevator.

Heading back inside his apartment with a sigh, Troy's thoughts turned to Gabriella as he gathered up his gym bag, filling it with everything he would need for the day. He wondered what she was doing at that very moment. He wondered what she was thinking and what she was feeling...and whether she was as nervous as he was about their arranged meeting that afternoon.

Across town, Gabriella had collected the notes for her morning rounds, and had just finished with her first patient. The professional side of her was forcing her mind to stay on the job as she was not willing to be held responsible for any mistakes made which could put a child's life at risk and then be attributed to her lack of concentration.

"Gabriella!" a voice called out behind her.

Gabriella stopped in her tracks and turned around, coming face to face with her supervising doctor.

"Good morning Dr Scarvo," said Gabriella.

Dr Scarvo frowned when she took in her student's appearance – the dark circles under her eyes and the dull brown of her usually vibrant chocolate irises. "Are you feeling ok, Gabriella? You look a little pale."

"Y...yeah, fine. I guess...I guess I just...didn't get much sleep last night?" Gabriella offered sheepishly.

"Well, you make sure you're looking after yourself, ok?" Dr Scarvo said.

Gabriella nodded. "Of course. Yes, of course. Uh...was there something you wanted, Doctor?"

"Hmm? Oh! Yes, yes – I just wanted to let you know that Boston Children's phoned me this morning to speak to me about your Residency. They are very excited to have you on board. Orientation will be the Tuesday after you graduate."

"So much for that Caribbean holiday I had planned," Gabriella joked and Dr Scarvo laughed.

"Absolutely right, no rest for the wicked," she smiled."I also wanted to let you know that we've just had a multiple casualty MVA bought into Emergency. I will be taking over your patients up here for the morning – I thought it would be good for you to observe the mayhem down there."

Gabriella's eyes widened, her veins already pumping with adrenalin. There was absolutely no hesitation on her part. "Absolutely," she handed over her patient notes. "Thank you so much."

Dr Scarvo grinned. "Go!"

"Oh! Right! I'm...Yeah. I'm going! Thanks!" she said, turning and rushing out of the ward and towards the stairs.

Gabriella was so busy in Emergency that she barely had time to give Troy a second thought. She revelled in the rush of the hustle and bustle of the emergency department, especially with the resuscitation bay at capacity with three seriously injured young children who had been involved in the catastrophic car accident.

It was all hands on deck, with Gabriella not only observing but providing desperately needed assistance. She walked out of the hospital at the end of the day feeling extremely proud of herself and overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment. She knew she had made the right decision when she had ripped up the general Peads papers. Despite the stress of the day, she had been in her element. She had loved every moment and her initial hesitations about taking on an emergency role had been quashed. _Troy had been right..._

She was suddenly hit with a familiar icy feeling of dread and remembered – _Troy. _

Gabriella froze on the spot for a moment, running a hand through her slightly matted chocolate curls and closing her eyes. The automatic doors swishing shut at her lack of movement brought her back to the present, and she swallowed, took a deep breath, exhaled loudly, and headed towards her rental car, homeward bound.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy switched off the taps in the shower and jumped out quickly, rubbing his hair with the towel. Three and a half outfit changes later, he finally gave up and settled for what he had originally pulled out of the wardrobe – dark denim stonewash jeans and a baby blue short sleeved button down shirt.

Gabriella always used to say he looked good in blue. "Fuck," he swore out loud. He shouldn't be caring WHAT colour Gabriella thought he looked good in. He was going over there to apologise for his rash actions and set things straight. And see if she was ok. And maybe they would hug. And..."SHIT!"

Troy's brain was racing with so many thoughts and emotions, he seriously considered belting it against the wall in an attempt to halt the hive of activity.

He knew that he had to see her – _needed_ to see her – neither of them could go on like this. But at the same time he was frightened – truly afraid. Afraid of losing control. Afraid of what he would say and how he would act. Afraid of his emotions getting the better of him. But most of all, he was afraid of his feelings and what seeing and talking to her again might tap back into.

Somewhere...deep down in the part of his brain that housed denial...Troy _knew_ he still felt something for the stunning brunette who had stolen his heart that fateful New Years Eve.

With one last glance in the mirror, he nervously wiped his sweaty palms on his pants before picking up his wallet, phone and keys and locking up his apartment.

The drive to Gabriella's building only took about ten minutes. He found a park a little way up the street, and walked up to the front door of the apartment block feeling like his knees were shaking so hard that they would give out at any second.

He somehow managed to make it to the eighth floor without passing out or throwing up and before he knew it, his feet had carried him until he was standing face to face with the smooth white door adorned with an ornate brass '3'.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he exhaled deeply before raising his hand and knocking...

* * *

**Voila! Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to make my day and revieeew :D**

**UP NEXT: TheConversation, and another familiar face enters the scene.**

**Until then, boomshakalaka and whole lot of Kangaroo ADD,**

**Kylie xxx**


	6. A Friend Indeed

**Wowzers, has it really been ten days since I updated?? Oops...my final major uni assignment was due (almost 12,000 words!!) and I've just been a bit run down and blah. But anyway. Here is chapter 6. Starting to pick up pace now, woop! Thankyou, thankyou, THANKYOU to the wonderful and ever patient Dani for her amazing beta-ing skills – despite seriously sucky neck and back pain, she still took the time to go through my writing and help me out with suggestions, comments and ideas, so THANKYOU SO MUCH CHICK, you rock. Thankyou to all of you readers and reviewers as well, you guys give me the motivation to keep writing!**

**That's all from my end, hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Kylie xox**

**PS: Ellie, Dani, Karen – 15, 15, 15 more sleeps till we're on the red carpet!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Friend Indeed**

Gabriella froze when she heard the knock at her door. Panic seeped through her like icy venom. She had spent the whole drive home from the hospital planning what she was going to say to Troy when he came over, and then – once she arrived home - paced back and forth across her living room carpet rehearsing her carefully planned speech. Now – upon hearing that knock – her well thought out words drained from her mind like water slipping through fingers.

Regaining feeling in her legs, Gabriella moved almost stiffy towards the door, stopping in front of the mirror in her entryway and smoothing her hair nervously before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

'_This is it, Gabriella,'_ she thought to herself. _'You know what you have to do.'_

She exhaled as she reached for the knob and pulled the door open. Troy's head snapped up at the sound, and his eyes met Gabriella's. He completely forgot everything he had come over here to say – for a split second he wanted to simply throw caution to the wind and take her in his arms: screw the rest of the world. But as Gabriella averted her gaze, suddenly finding her toenails – which were painted a very vibrant shade of blue – extremely interesting, he remembered why he had to do what he had come here to do.

"Hi," she murmured, not daring to look him in the eye again, afraid of the overwhelming emotion she had felt upon first opening the door hitting her again.

"Hey," he replied just as quietly, studying her body language and trying desperately to read what she was thinking and feeling.

"Come in," she said softly, standing back as he moved past her into the apartment.

"Thanks," Troy said, casting his eyes around the entrance to Gabriella's apartment. "Nice place," he commented.

"Thanks...um...can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Cold drink?" she offered, wringing her hands nervously.

"Sure," he replied distractedly. "Coffee...coffee sounds great."

Gabriella nodded and Troy followed her through to the kitchen where she flicked on the jug and took two mugs down from the cupboard. She was feeling rather shaky, so she was grateful that she had managed to buy some time to compose herself. Seeing him was making her incoherent, and having a task to focus on – something to keep her hands busy – was the perfect distraction.

Troy stood watching her move around the kitchen, his hands resting on the breakfast bar. The jug boiled nosily, but before she had even poured the boiling water into the mugs, Troy spoke.

"I'm so sorry," he blurted out. "I should never...I didn't mean to...I'm sorry, Ella."

Gabriella froze, her hands clutching the handle of the jug, hovering above the mugs. She stared down into the mug on the left – Troy's mug – where she had automatically put a teaspoon of coffee and two lumps of sugar without even needing to ask how he took his.

Troy moved to stand in front of her, taking the steaming jug from her trembling hands and setting it back on its base, forcing her to look at him.

"You shouldn't be sorry," Gabriella said finally, managing to find her voice as she tore herself from drowning in the depths of those vibrant blue eyes – the ones which had rendered her momentarily speechless. "It was my fault - I'm the one who should be apologising."

"No! Gabriella, I don't want you to blame yourself for a single second. I made the move, I kissed you and..."

"But I kissed back when I know you have a girlfriend...I never should have th...I never should have d..."

Troy cut her off again as she struggled to find the words. "I do have a girlfriend. And that's exactly why I should have been able to control myself," he explained. "It was...it was just...I don't know..." he trailed off.

Gabriella shook her head. "I still should have controlled myself. I should have pulled away."

"Gabriella I never wanted to hurt you. And I don't want you to beat yourself up over this, ok? I'm the one who kissed you..."

"But I'm the one who wanted it," Gabriella blurted.

Troy fell silent as Gabriella realised what she had said. As soon as they had started their rambling tirade of apologies, all logical thought had gone out the window, along with any chances she had of staying calm and rational. Hell, it had disappeared long before that – from the moment he had knocked on the door. Her heart was now speaking over her head, and Gabriella knew that was a dangerous place to be.

"I mean...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said...I didn't...Look Troy, just forget I said anything, I..."

Troy's heart was fraught as he watched the young woman in front of him struggle.

"Gabriella, I'm so sorry...I can't...I just...Alexis. I have a girlfriend. I wish...I...I'm in a relationship and I should never have let this happen. "

Gabriella remained silent, not trusting herself to speak. She was looking anywhere but at him, her breathing coming in ragged bursts as she tried to control her emotion, still kicking herself for her lack of control. Troy sensed her upset and continued gently.

"I think we both got caught up in the moment," he said softly, but deliberately. Gabriella couldn't help but wonder who he was trying to convince – her or himself. "I don't know whether it was a lack of closure rearing its head, or just left over tension that we both needed to get out of our system, but whatever the reason...it happened. We both know it was wrong..."

"...and we both know it can't happen again," Gabriella cut in, her head overruling her heart as she said what she thought he wanted to hear.

Troy nodded, relieved. "Exactly."

"Alexis is a lucky girl, Troy," Gabriella said, finally allowing herself to look at him.

Troy gave her a small smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I...I guess I should go," he murmured.

Her head nodded, only barely. "I'll...I'll see you 'round..."

He nodded. "Yeah..." Troy's gaze locked with Gabriella's, and – without any permission from his brain – his arm lifted, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek. An electrical spark ignited by the brush of their skin made the strong connection between them undeniable; their expressions – as much as Troy tried to hide it – full of regret.

Gabriella's front door slammed, breaking the spell in the kitchen.

Troy jerked his hand away "I...I'm sorry, Gabriella...I really should go. I'm just...sorry."

He pushed past her, turning back as he reached the doorway of the kitchen to look at her one last time – his eyes full of apology, hers filled with tears – before he fled the apartment. He must have passed Taylor outside the kitchen as he left because no sooner had Gabriella sunk onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar, Taylor was by her side.

"Either I'm hallucinating, or that was Troy Bolton barrelling out of your apartment. And either I'm _really_ hallucinating, or the Troy Bolton who was barrelling out of your apartment looked like he wanted to cry."

Gabriella nodded, covering her face with her hands as her own tears threatened. "We just had The Talk," she explained.

"I know," Taylor replied. I was the one who tried to talk you out of it, remember?"

"It had to be done, Tay. But my mouth...god, I can't control it to save myself."

Taylor frowned. Gabriella was quite calm and level headed as a rule. Put in a stressful situation she was always the first to know what to do. When Taylor would be freaking out about the flames leaping from the toaster, Gabriella would be the one switching it off at the plug and grabbing the fire blanket. But throw Troy Bolton into the mix, and she went to pieces every time. Taylor shuddered to think what Gabriella might have said under the pressure of speaking to him face to face, especially when they were speaking about a kiss. She remained silent, squeezing her best friend's hand to let her know that when she wanted to talk, Taylor was there to listen.

"I told him I _wanted_ the kiss to happen," Gabriella moaned.

"Oh? And how did he react?" Taylor pried.

"He let me down gently," Gabriella sighed. "Although something felt...I don't know – off? Like...like he was almost trying to convince himself that it was right to forget about it and move on. Maybe that's just me reading too much into things, though."

Taylor shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. What did you say to him after that?"

Gabriella brushed a stray tear from her cheek, shivering as she recalled Troy's hand there not ten minutes before. "I told him what he wanted me to say – that it was wrong, it shouldn't have happened and it can't happen again."

"What about what _you_ want, Gabi? That kiss didn't mean nothing to you – I know it didn't," Taylor pushed.

"I doesn't matter what I want. This isn't about me. Fuck, I don't even _know_ what I want. This is about what is right, and what is right is that Troy stands by his girlfriend. None of this is fair on Alexis. I just...I just have to forget Troy...again," Gabriella bit her lip. Her head hurt, thinking about it all. When had her feelings gotten so out of control? Truthfully, Gabriella knew that the answer was her feelings for Troy had never really left. She was falling all over again, and she knew she couldn't – she had to stop herself. Squeezing her eyes tight shut for a moment to stop the tears, she attempted to clear her mind. When she spoke again, her tone had changed from one that was rambling, upset and full of distress, to a rather false cheery. "Now – you fly home early Sunday morning. We should do something special tomorrow night. We'll get some wine, I'll cook something nice up for dinner and we'll eat chocolate and just have a nice relaxing girl's night. What do you think?"

"I think..." Taylor started, ready to turn Gabriella's question around, and tell her what she thought about the situation between Gabriella and Troy, however she hesitated for a moment before deciding to leave it for now, and just go along with her friend. She swallowed and plastered on a smile. "I think that sounds fantastic."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy arrived home after dinner with Alexis feeling rather drained. He had never realised how tiring keeping up a facade could be. Throughout the night he had listened patiently to Alexis as she talked about her day, some of the goings on at the high school, the latest gossip amongst the teachers in the faculty, and her plans for them for the weekend. He had smiled and nodded and frowned and tusked and laughed in all the right places, but his smiles didn't reach his eyes, his heart wasn't in it and his mind was wandering elsewhere. He could hardly even look at her either – he felt like he had betrayed her, and that she would know just by catching his eye.

Alexis wasn't stupid. It only took her a moment to realise that something wasn't right. It wasn't just tonight either – Troy had been acting strangely all week. She again asked him if he was ok, he again claimed that he was fine. Her eyes narrowed but she didn't push it – their relationship was solid enough, she was confident that he would come to her when he was ready to discuss whatever was bothering him.

Having someone to talk to was exactly what Troy was craving. When he had fled Gabriella's apartment, he had been stunned to have come face to face with Taylor McKessie. He remembered Gabriella telling him that she and Taylor were still close, but he thought she'd said Taylor lived in New York. What was she doing in Gabriella's apartment then?

After a while, however, he'd stop pondering Taylor's presence – replacing his confusion with relief: Gabriella had someone to be there for her, someone she could talk to. Leaving her visibly upset had made him feel sick to the stomach, but knowing that her best friend would look after her eased his guilt the tiniest amount.

It was then he realised what he was missing – a friend who _knew_ what he and Gabriella had once had, and he could talk to – really talk to – about the completely messed up space his head was in right now.

Someone who would understand.

He leapt up suddenly from where he had slumped on the couch and threw open the door of his 'junk room' – a small bedroom that was technically his spare room, but had become a haven for storage, currently housing boxes of things he either still hadn't bothered to unpack since moving in, or things he didn't have a place for yet. Amongst the piles of haphazardly stacked boxes was one containing all the old bits and pieces from high school that he hadn't been able to bring himself to part with. At the bottom of the box – beneath yearbooks, photos, cards, and other random items monogrammed with 'EHS' was a tattered old address book. Riffling through the pages, he found the loose leaf slip he'd shoved in there before he moved – the last time he'd spoken to Chad Danforth. Scrawled on the half torn scrap was an address and two phone numbers – land line and cell.

Moving into the kitchen, Troy grabbed the phone off the counter and punched in the land line number. It rang three times before a familiar voice answered.

"Yo?"

"Chad? Chad, it's Troy," he said, sinking into a chair at the table.

"Bolton? Where the hell are you at, man? It's been forever!"

Troy grinned to himself – some things never changed. "I've been around dude. What about you? I saw the charity game last week - that was one heck of a dunk in the final quarter."

Troy could almost hear Chad grinning. "Don't I know it? Couldn't have timed it better if I'd tried," he replied proudly. "How have you been anyway?"

"Yeah...pretty good hey," he answered simply, failing to elaborate.

"How's the missus?"

Troy swallowed "...She's...good."

Chad didn't miss the split second pause before Troy answered. Despite the fact that they hadn't been catching up as often as they once did, it didn't change the fact that they had been brought up as brothers and Chad was quick to put two and two together. He decided to cut straight to the chase.

"Trouble in paradise man?"

Troy sighed. "Alexis is fine, really. She's great. As fantastic as ever. It's...it's not her, it's...it's me. Chad, I've fucked up big time."

"What did you do this time?" he half joked, trying to make light of the situation.

"Chad...Gabriella Montez – she...Ella's here..." Troy trailed off, suddenly finding himself unable to formulate a coherent sentence.

"_What_?!" Chad spluttered, sticking his pinkie finger in his ear and rotating it a few times, sure he had heard wrong.

"Gabriella...you know, the girl I was crazy in love with 6 years ago? The girl whose heart I broke, shattering mine in the process?"

"Dude, I'm not _that_ stupid, how could I forget all the lunch times you spent with your tongue down her throat – I practically ended up in therapy! Although the memories even more ingrained in my brain are the hours you spent moping over the phone to me after you broke it off with her. You were a mess, Captain."

"I know," Troy replied softly. "I loved her so much back then. Seeing her again was a shock but...I think...I'm pretty sure...but then Alexis...but Ella, she's just...Chad, I think I'm falling for her again..."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella awoke early the next morning, quietly creeping up the hall and sticking her head into the guest bedroom. Taylor was still asleep, so she decided grab a quick shower before heading to the store to pick up some groceries for tonight's dinner.

She parked the car and grabbed a basket at the door, taking her time to wander up and down the aisles collecting the items on the list she had written the night before, as well as a few other bits and pieces that caught her eye.

She was standing in front of the freezers – trying to decide whether Raspberry Royale sorbet or Boysenberry White Chocolate Swirl ice cream would go better with the waffle baskets and fresh strawberries she had picked up for dessert when a familiar voice calling her name sent a chill down her spine that was completely unrelated to her close vicinity to the freezers.

"Gabriella?! _Gabriella!_"

Gabriella turned around only to come face to face with Alexis Meyer.

"Oh...hello," she greeted softly.

"Hi! Do you remember me? I'm Troy Bolton's girlfriend – the one you helped save last week."

_'How could I forget...?'_ Gabriella thought to herself. She plastered on a smile. "Oh yes! Alexis! Lovely to see you again. How is Troy doing?" she asked politely.

"He's wonderful. We're both still very grateful to you though. Now listen – what are you doing tomorrow night?"

Gabriella answered the question without even thinking. "Nothing at all. I've had my best friend staying with me, but she leaves in the morning so just...hanging around my place, I guess."

"Perfect!" Alexis beamed. "You're coming for dinner at Troy's place with the two of us – no excuses. I know Troy shouted you coffee to say thanks, but I feel like the both of us should thank you properly for what you did for us."

Gabriella almost died on the spot. Her and her big mouth. Why hadn't she thought before she spoke? She should have anticipated something like this!

"Oh, uh...I couldn't – I wouldn't want to...impose," she finished lamely.

"Nonsense," Alexis brushed her comment off with a warm smile. "I want to do something nice for you, and I'm sure Troy would be happy to see you again. So we'll see you at 6.30pm tomorrow. Here's the address," she scribbled down Troy's apartment details on the back of an old receipt and handed it to Gabriella. "There you go. Great. So we'll see you tomorrow!"

With one last happy smile, Alexis and her trolley were off towards the checkouts - leaving Gabriella to swallow the acidic taste of vomit she was sure was about to rise into her mouth.

Without even looking what she was picking up, Gabriella reached into the freezers, grabbed a random tub of frozen dessert, rushed through the checkouts without even collecting her change from the bewildered sales assistant and sped off back home.

Taylor was tucking into a bowl of Granola topped with French Vanilla yoghurt when Gabriella crashed back through the front door, dumping the bags of groceries on the counter before grabbing the edge of the granite top to steady herself, breathing heavily.

"Woooah, sister – what's up? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Gabriella slowly turned to look at Taylor, her hands shaking. "Taylor...I am in SO much shit..."

* * *

**DA DA DUUUM!! Oooh, things are getting iiiinteresting! Please review and let me know your thoughts!**

**UP NEXT: TheDinner...ooohaaaah!**

**Don't forget to review!!**

**Kylie xox**


	7. Just Like Old Times

**Hey all, I'm gonna make this short and sweet because it's after 1am and I'm falling asleep! Thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing . Sorry this took a while, I had my final assignments due but uni is done now so in theory I should be able to update more often. Although no promises because I start West Side Story this weekend and rehearse through till February so combined with work I'm gonna be pretty busy! A haauoooooge thankyou to the awesome and wonderful Dani for allowing me to drive her up the wall...I mean borrow her enormous font of knowledge for the past couple parts – especially this part. **

**And now the most exciting thing – 3 more sleeps till Dani, Ellie, Karen and I see The Zef and Le Hudge in person! Eeep! Sydney HSM3 premiere red carpet, here we come! **

**That's it from me! Hope you like this chapter – it's nice and long hehe.**

**Kylie xox**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Just Like Old Times**

Troy's mind was buzzing with a thousand and one different thoughts – each one seemingly more overwhelming than the next. The television was on, and he was sitting on the couch facing in that general direction, but his eyes weren't seeing the television screen.

All he could see was Gabriella.

Amazingly, he felt somewhat better, relieved - almost as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders - as clichéd as that sounded.

He had finally said aloud what he had known deep down but had tried to ignore. It was a combination of firstly, being too scared to acknowledge his feelings; and secondly, not wanting to believe that he could be falling for _anyone_ when he was in a solid relationship. Let alone falling for Gabriella...again. But he was beginning to realise that he couldn't live like this any longer, he couldn't simply place every thought and feeling that wasn't Alexis or work related down into the little black box of denial that existed in the farthest corner of his mind.

Troy closed his eyes, resting his head against the back of the couch as he replayed the final moments of his and Chad's telephone conversation in his mind. After dropping his spur of the moment 'I-think-I'm-falling-for-Gabriella-again' bombshell on his poor, un-prepared friend, Troy had fallen silent - struggling to come to grips with the weight of his admission. Chad had wheezed on the other end of the line, sounding like something had completely sucked every last ounce of air out of his lungs. Which wasn't far from the truth – those words were the last thing he'd expected to hear from his old friend's mouth when he'd answered the phone five minutes before. When he had caught his breath again, however, his words were a far cry from the comforting reassurance Troy had been envisioning.

"_Well – what are you going to do about it?" _Chad had asked bluntly.

"_I, uh...I honestly don't know, man. Everything...everything is just a huge mess. I can't decide what I...I don't know what I..." _had come Troy's stammered reply.

"_You don't know what _you_ want?" _Chad had asked incredulously.

"_I didn't mean that the way it sounded..._" Troy had murmured.

Chad had sighed. He had never been one for subtlety. When he had an opinion to give, it was always up front and straight to the point. That was one thing that hadn't changed over the years. He told it how he saw it and this conversation was no exception. "_Grow some balls, dude! Stop fucking Alexis around! It's not fair on her, or Gabriella, or you."_

Troy groaned as the relief he had felt was replaced once again with that all too familiar, sickening, deep seated guilt which slapped him in the face – hard.

"_I know, Chad – I just..." _Troy had tried to defend himself. Chad, however, wasn't having any of it.

"_Just nothing, man," _Chad had said firmly, and Troy had sworn he could hear him shaking his head. _"Tell me this – if you were to close your eyes and picture your future, what do you see? _Who _do you see?"_

Troy had closed his eyes tight, hoping for the right answer to become clear.

His mind had immediately filled with her. Her smile, her laugh, her eyes, her hair, her lips...

Now – almost a full hour after their phone conversation had ended, Chad's question was still echoing through Troy's head. And as he closed his eyes again, the picture remained unchanged. She had only just re-entered his life, but as he looked forward 5, 10, 20 years from now ... all he could see was her.

All he could see was Gabriella.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

When Gabriella had arrived home from the grocery store and told Taylor about her encounter with Alexis, her gut instinct had told her that she should run to the window of her apartment and launch herself headlong through the glass to encounter her fate on the concrete of the Boston street eight stories below.

Taylor, being the ever level-headed friend that she was, had been quick to tell her not to be so stupid – this wasn't the end of the world, and if they sat down and talked about it, maybe things wouldn't seem so bad.

Gabriella was failing to see how things could possibly seem anything but completely and utterly hopeless. How she could go to Troy's place and sit through dinner with him and his extremely sweet and kind hearted girlfriend was beyond her. She turned around to look at her best friend, however, and a feeling of guilt washed over her as soon as she caught her eye. She was reminded of why she had been at the grocery store in the first place – it was Taylor's last night in Boston. Taylor, who had flown all the way from New York to spend time with her – quality time, best friend time.

Gabriella took a deep breath and shoved all thoughts of Troy, Alexis and the impending dinner to the back of her mind and instead of hyperventilating like she could so easily have done, she wrapped Taylor in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Tay. You came all the way up here just to see me, and you've gotten nothing but drama from me. I can't imagine how I would have gotten through the past week without you. You're the best friend I could ever ask for."

"Gabs, that's what I'm here for. I think some higher power must have just known you needed me here this week. Drama or not, I'll always be there when you need me, and I know you'd do the same for me," Taylor replied, rubbing Gabriella's back.

Gabriella nodded, sniffling a little. "Still. I'm going to put all this mess with Troy out of my head for now, and enjoy my last day with you. This is your day. And we're going to have fun. We'll drag out all my lamest old school chick flicks, and I picked up everything we need for a pretty great champagne dinner," she said, wiping her eyes as she turned her attention to the grocery bags and began ticking off the items aloud. "Fresh prawns for prawn cocktails, salmon fillets, baby potatoes, asparagus, an extra large bag of Peanut Butter Cups, waffle baskets, strawberries, and..." she wrinkled her nose, taking notice for the first time of the dessert she had picked up, "...Blue Bubblegum ice cream...I ran into Alexis in the frozen food aisle. I think I have some plain vanilla in the freezer," Gabriella sighed.

Taylor laughed. "Aaah, take a risk Montez – Bubblegum and strawberries, it might be the new thing!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes and began to laugh as well. Before long the pair were shaking with laughter, the sound reverberating around the kitchen.

Gabriella had to admit – it felt good.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

A soft knock followed by the turning of a key in the lock and the click of his front door opening and closing pulled Troy from his stupor.

"Troy?" a sweet voice called.

Troy swallowed. "Hey Lex. In here."

Alexis popped her head into the living room where Troy was sprawled on the couch. "Hey you," she smiled. "I'll just pop this stuff in the fridge. Do you want a drink or anything?" she called out, disappearing into the kitchen.

"No thanks, I'm fine," Troy replied. "Hey, I was..."

"Ooh!!" Troy jumped as Alexis reappeared in the doorway, still holding one of the shopping bags she was halfway through unpacking. "You'll never guess who I bumped into at the store - Gabriella Montez!" she exclaimed happily.

Troy felt his heart pound a little at the sound of her name, but at the same time his stomach dropped down to his toes.

"Oh...really?" he managed, his mouth dry.

"Uh huh. And guess what else – she's coming over for dinner tomorrow night!"

"_What_?!" He had heard wrong. He was sure of it. Alexis wouldn't do that to him. But then he remembered – he was living a lie. A secret that Alexis wasn't privy to. She had no idea that she had invited her boyfriend's ex lover – the woman he was finding himself falling hopelessly for all over again – into his home. She was just trying to do something nice. As always. A tidal wave of guilt swept over him.

Alexis frowned. "I...I didn't think it would be a problem. I just thought it might be nice to say thank you properly from the both of us."

"I'm sorry, that's, uh...that's really sweet of you, Lex - it just took me by surprise is all. I mean, this place is a pigsty," he stated, looking around his spotless living room that was the farthest thing from a mess, and cringing. "I mean, uh...I guess I'd better get off my lazy bum and decide what to cook, right?!"

Alexis beamed and Troy forced a smile, pulling himself off the lounge and dropping a kiss on her forehead as he brushed past her, moving through the kitchen on the pretense of dragging out the recipe books. Crouching down to the cupboard, Troy felt beads of sweat spreading across his forehead as he swallowed the acrid taste of vomit that threatened to rise in his throat.

The hole he had managed to dig himself into over the past week had somehow just become even deeper.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

After its initial bumpy start, Taylor and Gabriella's day had run surprisingly smoothly. They had eaten out for lunch – at a quaint little Italian cafe called _Immaginare_ which they frequented whenever Taylor was in town, before heading over to the Museum of Science for the afternoon where they indulged their inner-geeks in several hours of mind boggling facts and figures.

They had sipped Raspberry Verdi whilst cooking dinner – Taylor insisting on helping – and laughed as they remembered the last time they had both been in the kitchen together – it had been in Taylor's apartment the summer before last and the pair had decided microwave popcorn was definitely the perfect accompaniment to their movie night. However Taylor – who was engrossed in conversation with Gabriella – accidently pressed one too many zero's on the microwave timer. Neither noticed the putrid smell of burning until Gabriella commented that this had been the longest two minutes of her life. The black molten rock that was actually shooting out tiny flames was a far cry from the bowl of buttery goodness they had been expecting, but it had made for one hilarious memory.

They had eaten out on the balcony of Gabriella's apartment, enjoying the view of the sun disappearing from the sky as day turned to night. When the evening chill began to bite, they had retired to the living room, where they were now braving the Blue Bubblegum ice cream. The bag of Peanut Butter Cups sat between them on the couch, waiting to be torn open once their dessert was eaten.

"You know, for something so blue...this isn't that bad!" Gabriella commented, swallowing a mouthful of her ice cream. "Now. The big decision is...Bridget Jones' Diary, or Romy and Michele's High School Reunion?"

Taylor grinned. "I think I'm feeling a bit of Romy and Michele," she decided. She watched as Gabriella bounced up off the couch to put the DVD in the player, pleased that her friend seemed to be a lot happier than she had been earlier that day. She was worried about her friend's emotional state – especially how Gabriella would cope without her actually being there to vent to or lend her shoulder to cry on. Yes, there was the telephone but it wasn't the same as her being there in person. Taylor knew, however, that Gabriella would get through this – she was strong and smart and Taylor had faith that she would make the best decisions she could.

Gabriella straightened up and turned back towards Taylor, heading for the lounge. The dark skinned girl caught her eye and smiled.

"What?" Gabriella giggled.

"Nothing," Taylor replied with a grin. "I'm just really glad we're friends."

"Aww, Tay!" Gabriella laughed, flopping down next to her friend and hugging her tight. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'm gonna miss you too, girl."

"Emotional breakdowns and all?"

Taylor laughed, nodding. "Emotional breakdowns and all. Now – enough of this soppy garbage – I believe we were about to watch us some chick flick."

Gabriella giggled again and pressed 'play' on the remote. The opening credits began to roll and the two best friends settled in to watch the movie.

Half an hour in, Gabriella suddenly snorted with laughter.

"Can you imagine our ten year reunion?" she asked Taylor, thoroughly amused by the mental image she had created of their graduating class.

Taylor almost spat out a mouthful of chocolate. "Oh god. It'll be the biggest circus ever. I can see it now – Darbus trying to control a bunch of kids in adults' bodies."

Gabriella laughed. "Yeah – it'll be utter chaos. I wonder what everyone will be doing. Who'll be married, who'll have kids...who'll have the weirdest jobs..."

"I wonder what Jason will be doing," Taylor pondered aloud, the movie playing in the background now forgotten.

Gabriella grinned. "Knowing Jase, something totally random and unexpected. Like...the ringmaster of a flea circus or something."

Taylor nearly choked. "The ringmaster of a flea circus? Where the heck did you pull that one from?!" she laughed. The pair dissolved into a fit of giggles, only calming down after several moments of trying to catch their breath. "You know who I think will be really successful? Kelsi Neilson."

"Totally," Gabriella agreed. "The quiet and shy kid is always the one to blossom into this glamorous celebrity."

"She's probably affiliated with some number one band or something."

Gabriella nodded. "I can see that, actually. Who do you think will be married?"

No sooner than the words had left her mouth, a picture of Troy and Alexis walking down the aisle flashed through Gabriella's mind, causing her breath to catch in her throat. Suddenly, all the anxieties she had about tomorrow's dinner – that she had tried to push out of her mind – came flooding back, tenfold.

"Oh god," she groaned. "Oh god, oh god, oh GOD..."

"What?" Taylor asked, placing a hand on Gabriella's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Oh god, Tay – what am I doing? I can't do this!"

"Do what Gabi? Go to our ten year reunion? What's so bad about..."

"_No_ Tay!" Gabriella cried. "Tomorrow – how can I go to Troy's and watch him and Alexis playing happy family when every time he looks at me, my knees feel like they are going to give out, my heart pounds so hard Alexis will _definitely_ be able to hear it...she'll know, Tay," Gabriella's voice was getting higher and higher with every word as she inched closer to hysteria.

"Know what, honey?" Taylor knew what her best friend was implying, but played dumb, knowing that she needed to say it out loud – bottling her feelings up was only hurting her.

Tears began to streak down Gabriella's cheeks. "She'll know that I'm falling for the man she already loves," she whispered, a multitude of different feelings flooding her as she said the words aloud.

"Oh Gabi," Taylor murmured, pulling Gabriella to her with a sigh. "How can I leave you like this, huh?" she wondered aloud as her friend cried on her shoulder.

Gabriella pulled back with a sniffle, wiping her watery eyes. "Tay, I'm so sorry...I keep doing this to you! I'll be fine, really. Troy and I are both adults, we can get past this – we will get past this. After tomorrow night, I can put him out of my head and move on. Really. It will be fine," she said shakily.

"Who are you trying to convince, Gab? Me or yourself?"

Gabriella fell silent. She knew Taylor was right.

"I loved him, Tay. I loved him so much," she said finally, her voice softer than a whisper. "And then all of a sudden, it was over. I missed him so badly. I've missed him every day for the past six years. And then he just reappears. And I don't know what the heck I'm supposed to do. I know deep down how I feel about him, but...it's just not right, Tay – Alexis is a good person, she's done nothing wrong. I'm not going to be the 'other woman' – the _home wrecker_...I'm not. That's just not me, I can't do it. As much as...as much as...When he kissed me I felt like time stopped. I forgot everything. I felt like...I have to let go, Taylor. I want Troy to be happy. He deserves someone like Alexis, she's a wonderful girl and she loves him. She loves him. She..." Gabriella couldn't take it anymore, she broke down once again.

"Shh, Gabi. Shh, it'll be alright. It'll be ok," Taylor promised, rocking her back and forth. Her heart was breaking for Gabriella. "You have to do what's best for you too. If going tomorrow night is going to hurt too much, then..." Taylor trailed off as Gabriella's cell phone began to ring.

Gabriella pulled back from Taylor, wiping her eyes as she stared at the screen. "It's Troy..."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy had been sitting staring at his phone for the past hour and a half since he had feigned a headache and Alexis had gone home. For the last half an hour, his finger had been hovering over the call button. He had to – _needed_ to – speak to Gabriella to see if she was ok and let her know that she didn't have to come tomorrow. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her again.

Suddenly he looked down and realised that his finger had actually pressed the call button, and he was dialling Gabriella's cell. If that wasn't a push from above, he didn't know what was. Raising the phone to his ear with a shaky hand, Troy listened to the monotone ringing, waiting for her to pick up.

Gabriella paced the living room, staring at the phone like it was a bomb about to explode. Taylor watched her carefully before standing.

"Answer it, Gab. I'm going to take a shower," she said, rubbing Gabriella's arm comfortingly as she left the room.

Gabriella drew a shaky breath before raising the phone to her ear, allowing her thumb to hit the answer button on the keypad.

"Troy?" she answered breathlessly.

Troy sent up a silent prayer of thanks when he heard her voice. He had been so worried she would reject his call, or just wouldn't answer at all. "Hi," he murmured. "Are you...are you ok? I just needed to...Alexis told me she saw you today, and that she...Ella, I'm so sorry – this is all my fault."

"Don't, Troy...how could you have known she would ask me to dinner?" Gabriella replied, her eyes filling with yet more tears at the genuine apologetic tone of his husky voice.

"I should have been up front and honest with Alexis all along. I should have told her about our past – about high school, and how much we...how we...I should have told her. I've been so stupid, and it's hurt you over and over again...Ella, I never meant to hurt you – ever."

Gabriella choked back a sob. "I know, Troy," her answer came, barely audible.

Troy could hear her tears and his heart physically ached. "You don't have to do this, Ella – tomorrow night, if you don't want to. Just say the word and I will make it go away. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"Really?' Gabriella asked hopefully. She should have known he could make it all better. He always could.

Although he felt a deep internal tug at the thought of not seeing her after all, Troy found himself putting her needs first. "Don't even give it another thought. I'll call Alexis in the morning and tell her I'm not feeling well," he said, a story that wasn't actually a lie – the nausea he was feeling as a result of his inner conflict might as well have been a stomach bug.

"Thank you, Troy," she murmured, relief seeping through her veins.

"Don't mention it. Anyway," he said, suddenly unwilling to say goodbye just yet. "What are you doing right now?"

Gabriella chewed on her lip, biting back a coy smile. "It's Taylors last night in Boston. We had a girly night in, but she's gone for a shower now."

"Girly night in?" Troy grinned. "Do I even want to know?"

Gabriella giggled, her worries melting faster than ice in the summer as they fell into an easy conversation. "We were watching Romy and Michele's High School Reunion. We were wondering what our ten year reunion will be like. What everyone will be doing, what they'll look like...who will be married, who will have kids."

Troy laughed. "I put my money on Mahlia Byrnes to be the alumnus with at least five kids under the age of six...all to different fathers..." he commented, referring to a girl in their year who had been infamous for her 'love 'em and leave 'em' view on relationships.

"Troy!" Gabriella spluttered, half choking, half laughing. "You can't say that! You can't, you...oh god," she gasped for air as she laughed.

"Whaaat? It's true!" Troy defended himself, his boyish grin growing on his face as he listened to her laughter, the sound tingling through to his bones.

Gabriella's breathing regulated as she calmed herself down. "Alright, alright – yes, you are probably correct."

"Probably?" he teased.

"Troy!" she couldn't help the smile which lit her entire face as he goofed around with her. _Just like old times..._

"Ok, ok, so Mahlia Byrnes will only have _four _kids under the age of six. What about everyone from our little gang? What will they be doing?"

"Tay and I voted Kelsi as a dark horse - we think she'll turn up all glamorous and rich."

"Probably linked to some record breaking music group," Troy commented.

"That's what we thought!" she replied incredulously. Her heart fluttered at Troy's amused murmur. She wished she could see his face right now, she knew his blue eyes would be filled with amusement, a hint of a smile dancing across his features.

"Great minds," Troy said. "We were always like that, though - remember the time Cara Thompson was giving Martha Cox hell at school, and I snuck into her locker to plant an out of date chunk of liverwurst in there, but you – my little miss goody two shoes - had already beaten me to it with a container of mashed up rotten egg! I was so proud!"

"Oh my god, her locker stunk for weeks! The pranks amongst our little gang in senior year were hilarious too. I remember you and I spending hours in your tree fort, plotting against Chad."

"We are..._were..._a great team," Troy blushed as he corrected his slip of the tongue.

His mistake didn't go un-noticed by Gabriella. Her heart jolted once more. Suddenly her wishing that she could see him turned into an aching _need_. Her heart spoke before her head even had time to register what she was saying. "Don't call off dinner, Troy. I'll come. It...it'll be fine. I can cope – we can cope," she blurted out.

Troy couldn't help the smile that crept back across his face. He could not have been happier about what she had just said. It was going to be hard, it was going to hurt...but she was going to be at his apartment tomorrow night, for the entire evening. And that alone was worth the risks.

"Ella...are you sure?" he murmured in spite of himself.

"Positive," she replied.

That was enough for him.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

At 5pm the following evening, Gabriella was majorly regretting her decision. She had driven Taylor to the airport early that morning, where they had shared a tearful farewell. On the drive home she had cranked up the music in her car - singing at the top of her lungs and attempting to forget the nervous anticipation that was bubbling in her stomach – then spent the rest of the day cleaning her apartment from top to bottom, her theory being that busier was better.

Now she was standing in the middle of her bedroom surrounded by every single item of clothing from her wardrobe. Taylor had helped her pick out an outfit the previous night once she had gotten off the phone from Troy. But Gabriella had freaked after lunch and decided it made her look fat, hence the strapless black and gold patterned print dress lay abandoned in the corner, with pants, dresses, tops and jackets strewn all over her bed and floor.

After a quick shower where she washed her hair and shaved her legs, Gabriella wrapped herself in a towel and stood in front of the bathroom mirror where she applied a light cover of makeup – paying particular attention to her eyes – before returning to her disaster of a room.

Just as she was slipping on a pair of dark blue skinny leg jeans - racking her brains to think of a nice top she could pair with them - her cell phone buzzed, lighting up and dancing across her desk.

**1 New Message:** **Tay Cell**

_Gab – step away from the other outfits! WEAR THE DRESS! Xox_

Gabriella smiled – Taylor knew her too well. She picked the dress up off the floor and pulled it on, smoothing it down nervously as she took in her appearance in the mirror.

"'Spose you'll do, Montez," she sighed, picking up a pair of gold hoop earrings and putting them on before sliding several black and gold bangles onto her right wrist, smoothing some clear gloss over her lips, running her hands once more through her tousled black curls, throwing her phone and wallet into her handbag, slinging it over her shoulder, and locking up her apartment.

Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at Troy's apartment. By now, her nerves had returned double strength, and as she raised her right hand to knock on the door, she was clutching her bag so tightly in her left hand that her knuckles were turning white.

Not thirty seconds after Gabriella knocked, the door was flung open by a beaming Alexis.

"Gabriella!" she exclaimed happily. "I'm so glad you could make it!" she smiled warmly, standing aside to allow Gabriella entrance to the apartment.

As Gabriella stepped over the threshold and past Alexis, she heard footsteps coming from the direction of what she assumed was the kitchen, and stopped dead.

There he was.

As soon as their eyes met, a smile lit up Troy's face, one which Gabriella couldn't help but return. The spell between them was broken when Alexis shut the door.

"Gabriella, Troy – I assume you remember one another," she joked.

Gabriella let out a nervous laugh and Troy winked at her, holding out his hand. She placed her hand in his and he gave her fingers a small squeeze before releasing them.

"Gabriella," he said politely. "It's wonderful to see you again. Can I get you something to drink?"

On the outside he was the picture of confidence. On the inside, his stomach was twisted in knots. Now that Gabriella was standing in front of him, his heart was racing even more than it had been when they had spoken on the phone the previous night.

"Uuh...a glass of water would be great," Gabriella replied, suddenly realising how dry her throat was.

"I'll get it," Alexis smiled, bouncing into the kitchen.

As soon as she was out of sight, Troy moved closer to Gabriella. Her heart was pounding, and she was certain she would faint if she so much as moved a single muscle.

"Ella..." he breathed, so close now Gabriella could smell his cologne. "Are you ok?" he took her hand again, this time encasing her hand in both of his.

Gabriella nodded, unable to speak.

"You look...you look beautiful by the way," he whispered, unable to help himself. He took a step back at the sound of the fridge closing, suddenly remembering something. "Excuse me a sec," he ducked into the kitchen, grabbing three ice cubes from the freezer and dropping them into the cup Alexis was holding. She looked at him questioningly and he simply shrugged, taking the glass from her. "Thanks Lex."

As the pair left the kitchen, they found Gabriella staring at a framed photo on the wall. It showed Troy and Alexis laughing happily, Troy holding Alexis around the waist.

"Here you go Gabriella," Troy said and she turned to face him, taking the glass from his hands.

As she noticed the ice cubes floating in the cold water, Gabriella looked up and caught his eye. "Thank you," she said softly.

Troy smiled at her and took his own drink from Alexis. "Dinner is about 20 minutes off, so why don't we go through to the lounge?"

"I'll join you in a minute, I just have to check on the chicken," Alexis announced, before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Follow me," Troy said with a grin.

Gabriella's heart continued to pound as she followed him into the lounge room. Her hands were shaking so much that the ice cubes in her drink – ice cubes which she couldn't believe he had remembered – clattered against one another.

Troy was quick to notice her nerves – his stomach was doing its own dance of disarray. As they sat on the lounge, he leaned towards her across the arm of her chair and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"It's ok, Ella. If at any time you feel like you want out, just scratch your ear and I'll...faint or...something..."

Gabriella laughed. "Troy!" she hissed back. "What if I just have an itchy ear?!"

Troy grinned. "I knew I could get you to smile. Relax, Ella."

Gabriella let out a shaky breath as Alexis returned to the room, taking a seat next to Troy.

"So, Gabriella. You work at the hospital, right?"

"Kind of," Gabriella replied, trying to sound as calm as possible despite the fact she was well aware that Troy's blue-eyed gaze was fixed right on her. "I'm almost finished medical school and once I graduate I'll be starting my residency at Children's Hospital Boston."

"Wow," Alexis smiled. "It must be so rewarding to know you're saving people's lives every day. Especially children's lives."

Gabriella nodded enthusiastically. Talking about her work she _could_ do. Just as she was explaining how her residency would work, the oven timer dinged.

"Ooh! That's dinner!" Alexis announced. "The dining room is just through there," she told Gabriella.

"I'll give you a hand, Lex," Troy said, following Alexis into the kitchen. He needed a few moments to gather himself together before being seated across from Gabriella for an entire meal. Having her here was only causing him to realise just how deep his feelings for her ran. This was more than just old feelings being stirred up.

"Troy?"

"Huh?" Troy whirled around. "Oh," he took the salad bowl Alexis was holding out. "Sorry," he carried the bowl to the table, as Alexis set the plates of food down.

"Wow, this smells delicious," Gabriella commented politely as Alexis set down a plate of food in front of her. "Thank you for all this effort, it's really unnecessary."

"Nonsense," Alexis brushed her off. "It's the least we could do – right Troy?"

"Huh?" Troy hadn't been paying attention to what his girlfriend was saying. He had been too busy trying to distract himself from the fact that Gabriella's knee was so close to his, if he moved his foot even an inch further over he could touch her, by mentally scolding himself for even thinking about touching Gabriella when he had girlfriend – especially one who was sitting right next to him.

Alexis laughed. "You've been on another planet today, Troy Bolton!" she exclaimed jokingly and Troy turned bright red, averting his eyes as Gabriella's own gaze jumped nervously around the room. "I was just saying to Gabriella dinner is the least we could do for her."

"Oh. Right. Yeah – thanks again Gabriella. I really do owe you my life. You're a hero."

It was Gabriella's turn to blush. Attempting to brush it off, she started telling the first story she could think of to make light of the situation. "It was nothing, really. I'm far from a hero. In fact, most of the time it's me that needs rescuing. I'm deathly allergic to mango, and I remember one time in high school I ate a piece in a fruit salad without realising...I was on a picnic with my friends in the middle of nowhere, and it took three of them to carry me all the way from the park to the roadside and flag down someone for help. Apparently I was turning a rather attractive shade of blue by the time help arrived!" she giggled softly.

Alexis frowned, cocking her head. "You know, I just got the biggest sense of déjà vu. I don't know why, but that story sounds _really_ familiar – I swear I've heard it before."

Troy's eyes widened and Gabriella felt panic set in. Troy must have told her once about how he had freaked and run with an increasingly limp body slung over his shoulder, yelling like a girl the whole way. Had she just blown their cover? Alexis scratched her head. "Eh. I don't know. Maybe it's just my brain being weird."

Troy laughed nervously. "Silly Lex – you must have worked too hard cooking dinner. By the way, this meat is fantastic – so tender."

"Really? Oh good – I was worried it wouldn't turn out, but I think it did."

Troy and Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief.

The rest of the dinner passed relatively smoothly. The three adults talked about everything from work and family to which cafes in town made the best coffee. Gabriella squirmed uncomfortably as Alexis told her all about how she and Troy met, and what they did on their first date, Troy also feeling uncomfortable as he sent her apologetic glances. However both were relieved that keeping up a calm external appearance wasn't proving to be too difficult. As the night wore on, they even found themselves relaxing enough to enjoy the company.

After dinner Alexis shooed Troy and Gabriella back into the living room while she quickly cleared the plates and stacked them in the dishwasher. She went pulled out some dessert bowls, but soon realised Troy had packed them away a shelf higher than usual and she couldn't reach.

"Troy?" she called out. "Can you come help me for a sec?"

Troy laughed as he entered the kitchen and saw her balancing on tip toes, trying to reach the bowls.

"Here, I'll get them," he laughed, reaching above her head to take the bowls down. He placed them on the bench, lining them up side by side as Alexis removed an apple crumble from the oven and a tub of ice cream from the freezer. She cut up the crumble and placed a slice in each bowl, adding a scoop of ice cream before taking a can of whipped cream from the fridge and squirting some into the first bowl, then the second. She shook the can again and had it poised above the third bowl when Troy suddenly sprung into action.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, snatching the can out of her hand. "Don't put whipped cream on that one."

Alexis looked at Troy, a look of pure confusion on her face. "Why don't you want cream? You _love_ whipped cream."

"I do, I uh...Gabriella, she...Here, let me take those for you," Troy said quickly, balancing the bowls of dessert and carrying them through to the living room, leaving Alexis feeling more confused than ever.

Once dessert was eaten and coffee was had, Gabriella decided that – seeing as she had made it through the night relatively unscathed – staying much longer would be tempting fate. She purposely checked her watch and feigned a look of shock.

"Is that the time already?" she said, trying to sound surprised. "I have to be at the hospital early tomorrow so I'd better head off. Thankyou both so much for a lovely evening, though. You really didn't have to go to so much effort. Dinner was wonderful, Alexis."

Alexis smiled softly as they stood and headed to the door. "Thank you for coming. It was great to see you again. Like I said – it was the least we could do."

Troy nodded. "She's right. Thanks Gabriella. And thanks for coming over. It was really nice to see you."

Gabriella couldn't help but notice the way his eyes sparkled when he spoke to her, his blue irises boring deep into her brown ones. "Thanks," she replied quietly. "Well, I'll see you," she said, moving out into the hall.

"Hey wait, I'll walk you down to your car," Troy said quickly, following her into the hall."

"Oh...it's fine, I can go by myself," Gabriella said.

"No, let Troy go too," Alexis said kindly. "It gets really dark down there of a night."

"Oh...ok," Gabriella agreed, her heart beginning to hammer in her chest as loudly as it had when she had first arrived.

"Back soon, Lex," Troy said, kissing Alexis quickly on the cheek. Gabriella looked away.

Alexis waved until they were enclosed in the elevator, headed down to the ground floor. As soon as the door swished shut, both Troy and Gabriella let out a simultaneous sigh of relief then laughed at the coincidence.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Troy asked nervously.

Gabriella shook her head, gazing up at him. "She's great, Troy."

Troy looked away. "...Yeah..."

Gabriella knew that look. And as much as part of her wanted to kiss him there and then and tell him to do it, to leave Alexis...she had to do what was right. "Don't, Troy. Don't do that. You two love each other. You..."

"I can't stop thinking about you, Ella..." Troy's voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

Gabriella shook her head. "No. Don't say that, Troy. Please. Alexis..."

Troy sighed. "I know..."

The elevator shuddered to a halt at the ground floor, and the doors opened with a _ding_ signalling the end of their conversation. The pair walked to Gabriella's car in silence, and when they reached the driver's side door Gabriella turned to face Troy.

"Goodnight," she whispered, not trusting herself to speak any louder.

"Goodnight Ella," Troy replied. Unable to help himself, he placed a hand on both her shoulders and leaned forward, brushing his lips against her forehead. They lingered a second longer than they should have before he pulled back. "I'll call you soon."

Troy watched until her car reached the end of his street and indicated left, disappearing into the darkness. With another sigh, he turned back towards his building, crossing the lobby and riding the elevator back to his apartment where Alexis was waiting.

When he let himself back in he found Alexis in the kitchen, rinsing the coffee machine out. She looked up when she heard his footsteps and set down the cloth she was using.

"Troy," she said, confusion flitting across her face once more. "Can I ask you something?"

Troy's stomach dropped, his heart thumping. "Yeah...sure..." he replied slowly, unsure of where this was heading.

"Gabriella Montez – you seemed like you...did you... Did you know her before last week?"

* * *

**And again. A cliffy. Is that seven for seven yet? Lol. **

**UP NEXT: How will Troy respond? And a blast from the past threatens everything.**

**Please review! It makes me pathetically hyper!**

**Kylie xox**


	8. The Past Catches Up

**Ok, can anyone say ITOTALLYMETZACVANESSAANDASHLEYONMONDAY!!!???**

**Coz I did :) Last Monday was the most AWESOME day ever! Great fun with great girls (love ya Ellie, Dani, Karen, Holds, Kenz and all the others who made the day so much fun! Including Audrey – you were there in spirit!) and an amazing trio of celebs (plus Kenny!) who made the long wait worthwhile! A-mazing.**

**Ok, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Here is chapter 8. Things are starting to get moving now! Sorry for the cliff hanger yet again :p**

**Thanks to the amazing Dani for her awesome betaing skills, as well as to Jessa for our epic 5 minute long convo this morning!**

**Love, Kylie xox**

**PS – Taylor's popcorn story ia couple chapters back is a true story. It happened to...er...not me (**_**looks around suspiciously**_**).**

**PPS – The 'blast from the past' I mentioned is actually a 'what' rather than a 'who'...love that most of you guessed Sharpay hehe.**

**PPPS - Check out Ellie's profile (AussieEllie) for a hot mess of an insane co-write .... I don't think we can even call it a fic... that we just posted, and also ****Dani's profile (Pandora147) for an absolutely insane Aussie themed co-write that us crazy gals wrote at the premiere!**

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Past Catches Up**

Troy almost choked. "What?" he spluttered.

"Did you know Gabriella before last week?" Alexis repeated patiently. She wasn't mad, she wasn't inpatient...just curious.

Troy frowned. What was he supposed to say? Did he admit everything or keep up the lies? He had told Gabriella the previous day that he wished he had told Alexis the truth straight up...did he use this opportunity to rectify that situation, or was he in over his head now? Troy wasn't a liar – it wasn't in his nature at all. But he had made the decision to keep the truth from Alexis at the start and that was something he was now suffering the consequences of. On the inside he was freaking out, on the outside he tried as best he could to maintain an expression that was as neutral as possible.

He looked Alexis in the eye and in that moment he knew he couldn't tell her. He didn't want to hurt her. Someone was going to get hurt eventually...he knew that, somewhere deep down. But he couldn't do it now. He couldn't be the one to make her eyes fill with hurt, her face crumple, her expression questioning.

At least not right now. He needed to try. He needed to try and preserve the relationship they had.

So he looked her in the eye.

Looked her in the eye and lied.

"No. No, I'd never met her before in my life," he said firmly. "What makes you ask?"

Alexis narrowed her eyes a little, frowning. "Oh...nothing, it's just...well...I don't know, really. The two of you just seemed kind of familiar. The way you looked at each other was like...maybe I'm just being stupid," she half laughed. "But then you seemed to know things about her – like what was with the ice, and then the whipped cream?"

Troy shrugged. "I don't know...lucky guess?" he said, hoping his face wasn't burning as red as it felt.

"And then that story...about the mango – I _swear_ I've heard you tell that story before," Troy held his breath as Alexis frowned and sighed, but then shrugged. "But hey, if you say you'd never met her, then I believe you," she said, looking up at him.

He shook his head. "I haven't. I promise."

Alexis seemed to relax a little, her lips curling into a smile. That was good enough for her. "Ok," she reached up and brushed her thumb across Troy's cheek before rising on tip toes to kiss him quickly. "I'd better get going. I have some marking to finish before school tomorrow. See you after work?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah," he replied quietly. "Night Lex."

Her unconditional trust only heightened his guilt. He hated what this secret of his was doing to them – how it was affecting her, and the person it was turning him into. But he needed more time – time to sort out his feelings before he came clean.

He leaned against the archway leading into the kitchen and watched as Alexis picked up her bag and headed towards the door. She hesitated as she reached out to turn the knob, looking back at him for a moment – her expression one of thoughtful concentration.

She loved Troy. And loving him meant trusting him. So – ignoring her instincts, which were telling her to probe further – she gave him the benefit of the doubt. Besides – if there was a reason for her to worry, Troy would have told her – wouldn't he?

Shrugging her feeling of unease off, she smiled at him one last time before closing the door behind her.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella practically floated into her apartment, automatically locking up and checking the windows before switching off the lights and heading towards her bedroom.

She set her clutch purse and her keys down on her bedside table, and then flopped backwards onto her bed, staring at the ceiling with a goofy smile spreading across her face.

She couldn't be sure whether or not he had intended it that way, but when Troy had kissed her on the forehead... Gabriella sighed as the flood of emotion that had filled her not half an hour before returned full force.

As his lips had met her forehead in such a tender display of affection, Gabriella had felt safe, content...loved. She had been overwhelmed by a sense of hope – like somehow, despite her better judgement and despite the obstacles and the odds stacked against them – the love they had once shared would prevail.

She sighed happily once more and closed her eyes, an image of Troy immediately appearing before her. His floppy hair, his cheeky school boy grin, his blue, blue eyes...she wanted them. She wanted him. She wanted him so badly it was like a physical ache of longing, plaguing every bone and muscle in her body.

Remembering the way his lips had so softly brushed against her skin caused Gabriella to shiver slightly. It was like she was a giddy school girl all over again. Memories of their relationship in high school and their early college years replaced the vision of his face in her mind. The way he would hold her hand, looping her petite fingers through his larger ones. The way he would wrap an arm around her shoulders, holding her against him as they walked side by side. The way he would hold her close, so close that she could hear his heart beat. The way he would pull her into his arms and rest his chin on top of her head, protecting her from the rest of the world. The way he would slip two fingers under her chin, tilting her face towards his so that he could press his lips to hers.

The way he adored her.

The way he respected her.

The way he _loved_ her.

Suddenly, it was like none of the past 6 years had happened. When Gabriella thought of Troy, she didn't remember the nights she had cried over the way he had broken her heart. She could only remember the good times. The hours spent in his tree fort, road trips taken in his truck, family dinners with his parents or her mom – sometimes both, 'study' afternoons in Gabriella's bedroom when her mother was working late...every wonderful memory they had made together.

Gabriella leaned over the side of her bed and felt around until her hand fell upon the object she was searching for. Sliding the box carefully out from under the bed, she lifted it up beside her and pulled herself to sit cross legged before opening the lid.

After rummaging through the contents of the box, she found what she was looking for. She carefully lifted the framed photo from amongst other papers, pictures and trinkets, an unavoidable smile spreading across her face as she traced the picture beneath the cool glass with her finger.

Eighteen year old versions of Troy and herself grinned up at Gabriella from the picture. It had been snapped by her mother on her birthday and showed her standing with a beautifully decorated chocolate cake on the table in front of her, eighteen candles glowing brightly amongst the curls of chocolate and fresh strawberries that adorned the top. Troy stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist, hands resting on her stomach and his chin leaning softly on her shoulder, the pair of them positively radiating happiness. Gabriella turned the frame over in her hands and carefully removed the back, slipping out a folded piece of paper she knew was wedged behind the photograph.

Unfolding the paper, Gabriella's eyes scanned over the words Gabriella could have recited by heart, which were written in the still familiar boyish scrawl.

_Dear Gabriella,_

_Well, what can I say? _

_When I left for winter vacation in Colorado almost two years ago, I never expected the turn my life was about to take. My life revolved around basketball – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week._

_Then I met you._

_You've turned my whole world around, Ella. I'm who I am today because of you and I can't imagine my life without you in it. I never used to think I was scared of anything...but now the thought of ever losing you scares the hell out of me. _

_We've been through so much together: we've had our ups and our downs – mostly ups though – and we've been there for each other through thick and thin. No matter what life has thrown at us, we've survived it – together. _

_Now here we are, on your eighteenth birthday. I wish I could give you the world – you deserve it, three times over. Instead, I'm giving you this ring. It's a promise ring. My promise to you is that I will love you forever – however long forever may be. _

_You mean everything to me, Ella. I love you so much._

_Happy Birthday, baby. _

_Love always,_

_Troy xxx_

Tears pricked Gabriella's eyes as she clutched the letter to her chest before re-folding it in a painstakingly carefully and slipping it back inside the frame, tucked behind the photo. She set it down on the bed beside her before reaching into the box again, this time removing a small red velvet jewellery box. She opened the lid, admiring the ring inside and letting out a soft breath as she ran her finger over the smooth silver of the band, which peaked in an elegant twist, a sparkling clear zircon set in the centre.

Removing the ring from the box it had been nestled in for the past six years Gabriella delicately slipped it on her finger, holding her hand out in front of her to admire the jewellery glinting there. She slipped it off again with a small sigh, and then hesitated for a moment before slipping it back on her finger, snapping the jewellery box closed and stashing it back in the larger box which she slid back under her bed. She rose from the bed, picking up the framed photo and setting it carefully on her bedside table.

Gabriella sat herself down once more, legs dangling over the edge of her bed as she studied the picture beside her. Suddenly, as she stared at the happy smiles in the picture, her own face morphed into that of Alexis, and it was her Troy had his arms wrapped so comfortably around.

Gabriella jumped back as though she had been burned, blinking profusely to clear the vision of Troy's girlfriend's face from her mind. Hot tears began to splash down her face as she realised how stupid she was being – Troy wasn't hers. It didn't matter about the past they shared, he was Alexis' now. She really had to let this stupid obsession go. She wasn't being fair on herself – or to Alexis.

As much as she wished she could rewind back to the way things had been in high school, Gabriella knew that was never going to happen. She reached over and laid the photo face down, pulling off the ring and setting it on top of the frame. She knew she had to put Troy out of her head, and force herself to move on.

But how do you make yourself fall out of love with someone you've never really stopped loving?

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Hello?" Troy answered his phone groggily, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Hey Bolton," came the voice down the line.

"Chad, why the hell are you calling me at this hour?" Troy grumbled.

"This hour? What hour? Dude, it's almost 11am – people are generally at work by now."

"FUCK!" Troy swore as he sprung out of bed, pulling on the closest pair of jeans as he balanced his cell between his shoulder and his ear. "I must have slept through my alarm."

"You're hopeless, Bolton," Chad laughed.

Troy groaned, running his fingers through his hair. "I got shit-all sleep last night, man."

"Aaah, the big dinner went that well, did it?" Chad asked.

Troy sighed, rubbing his tired face. "Aaah, it wasn't that it was afterwards...Alexis asked me if I knew Gabi before...well, before all this happened."

"Ouch..." Chad commented. "How'd she take the news?"

"What news?" Troy replied.

"You didn't tell her man?" Chad asked incredulously.

Troy sighed again. "I couldn't. I couldn't do it to her. She's not stupid though, Chad – she knows something's up. I laid awake all most of the night...partly because I felt guilty for lying to her, and partly because...because I couldn't stop thinking about Ella," he couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the edges of his lips when he spoke her name. "I was just...just remembering everything. Everything we had – everything I threw away..." he trailed off sadly.

"You're going to have to do something about this soon, Troy," Chad commented seriously. You're stuffing around two women who don't deserve it, and you're driving yourself fucking mental in the process. If you don't tell Alexis about yours and Gabs' past soon...she's going to find out from someone or somewhere else, that that is not fair."

"I know," Troy replied firmly. "I know. I can't stand the thought of either one of them getting hurt. I love Alexis, I do. But Gabriella...a piece of my heart has always belonged to her, and probably always will," he closed his eyes for a moment, trying desperately to gather his thoughts and make some sense of the situation. "I wish this whole damn mess would just sort itself out for me."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Alexis hummed softly to herself as she fished for her key to Troy's apartment. Finding it, she slipped it into the lock and turned it, causing the door to sing open. Closing it behind her with her foot, Alexis moved through to the kitchen, dumping some grocery bags down on the counter.

There was something off between her and Troy recently, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what. No matter how many times he assured her that he was fine – that _they_ were fine – something was still causing a feeling of unease to remain deep in the pit of her stomach. She trusted Troy completely, but her instincts were telling her there was more to his story than he was letting on.

Still – as much as she didn't like secrets in a relationship - she believed that if there truly was something for him to tell, there must be a good reason he was hiding it and he would tell her in his own good time. She didn't want to rock the boat either if there was no reason to, especially when things had been so wonderful between them.

So she had decided to do something nice for him, help him to relax and forget whatever was troubling him. She had brought all the ingredients to cook him his favourite meal for dinner, and was then planning on offering him either a quiet night in – perhaps with a movie – or going out somewhere like the bowling alley or the cinemas.

Alexis set herself to work in the kitchen, chopping, mixing and stirring – knowing that she only had an hour or so until Troy would be home. She picked up a measuring jug to add the correct amount of water to the bowl, but lost her grip on the handle and dropped it, the jug falling to the floor and cracking.

With a frustrated sigh, Alexis picked up the pieces and tossed them in the trash before wiping her hands on a dish towel and heading up the hall towards Troy's spare room, where all his 'junk' – or still not un-packed belongings – were stored. She was pretty certain that there was a box somewhere amongst the piles labelled 'Spare Kitchen Stuff' and she was hoping she could find another measuring jug in there.

It didn't take her long to spot the box, in the middle of the pile closest to the door. She bent down to try and shift it out so she could open it, but the box on top of the pile – which was open for some reason – teetered and wobbled before falling to the floor beside her, some of its contents spilling out.

Alexis plopped down on the floor and began to gather up the papers and other items which had fallen out, but soon realised that amongst them were pictures of a teenage Troy in high school. A grin spread across her face as she scooped up the box and carried it through to the kitchen, placing it down on the table. She didn't really know too much about Troy's high school days, apart from that he played basketball, and she was excited to see what he looked like compared to now.

Sorting through a bunch of medals and awards for basketball, school reports and a couple of scraps of paper with numbers written on them, Alexis found some photographs.

"Awww!" she cooed aloud as she pulled out a photo of a seventeen year old Troy on stage with a microphone. "Troy Bolton, I didn't know you could sing!" she laughed. "This I have to hear!"

Beneath the photo were two programmes, one entitled 'Twinkle Town' and the other 'Senior Year'. She picked them up, but then set them aside as another photograph caught her eye. She picked it up slowly, her smile fading.

A beaming Troy was wrapped around a glowingly happy, stunningly pretty Latina - long, dark, chocolate coloured curls framing her face. It looked like a birthday party, eighteen candles glowing on the enormous chocolate cake.

'Happy 18th Birthday...' it read. 'Happy 18th Birthday..._Gabriella_...'

Alexis placed the photograph down with a shaking hand as a spark of recognition ignited, a cold sweat beading her forehead. Troy had lied. Hurt flooded through her as an album in the bottom of the box caught her eye and she lifted it out, reading what was written on the cover in female-looking handwriting.

"_Troy & Gabriella: Our Memories"_

She flipped through the pages, feeling increasingly fainter as her eyes scanned photo after photo of Troy and Gabriella laughing, smiling, kissing, cuddling, posing, grinning, piggy-backing...looking completely in love. Alexis' head started to hurt and she felt sick to the stomach. Not only had Troy _known_ Gabriella, they had been together...he had _loved_ her.

In the back of the album were several scrappy pieces of note paper with the same girlish, loopy writing as on the cover of the album. Salty tears pooled in Alexis' eyes as she read the messages.

'_Troy,'_ one read. '_You're just too sweet :) Meet you at our spot during free period? Love you, love you, love you! Ella xox'_

'_Hey Wildcat,_' said another. _'Just wanted to say...you mean the world to me. I love you! See you at lunch :) Love, Ella xox'_

A third contained both the girl's handwriting and a scrawl Alexis recognised as Troy's. From the way one line of handwriting followed another, it seemed as though it had been written in class, behind a teachers back.

**Miss Gabriella...if you looked any more gorgeous I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my work. **

_It's not my fault if you can't keep your eyes on your own paper, stalker! :p_

**I'm still blaming you if I fail :D**

_You're horrible Troy Bolton...but I love you anyway!_

**Too irresistible to stay mad at, Ella?**

_Haha, funny :p Hey, do you wanna stay for dinner tonight? Mom's making lasagne and brownies._

**Sold! Hey, maybe we can sneak in some 'study' time before she gets home from work :p**

_We'll see... :p We don't want a repeat of the 'incident' last week at your house. I swear your dad can't look me in the eye anymore. _

**Well, if you'd caught your son in his bedroom with his hand up a girl's skirt...**

_Great, now I can't look him in the eye ever ever ever again!_

**Hahahaha, Ella you're too cute.**

_You're cuter. But you're also going to fail Algebra if you're not careful. If you get all your work finished now, I MIGHT let you study with me tonight..._

Alexis' heart had been sinking since she first delved into the box, but as eyes ran over the final line of the note, her blood ran cold and she sank to the floor, her back against the hard wood of the kitchen cupboards.

**I LOVE YOU, GABRIELLA MONTEZ!!! Xxxxx**

* * *

**Ooohaaaah! Cliffy number 8! Thanks so much for all the amazing reviews, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter too!**

**NEXT UP: Alexis deals with her findings...**

**Kylie xox**


	9. When One Door Closes

**Well, here we are – chapter 9. The most draining chapter to write of this story so far, I think! It's taken me for freaking ever to get it how I wanted it. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to do it without the one, the only...DANI! You pretty much rock the hizzle, so, three paragraphs of thanks to you!**

**1. Because you're totally in my headspace and sometimes we share a brain, so it seems. Our freaky **_**OOOH!**_** moments are more and more frequent, and it helps because you just **_**get **_**me when it comes to my writing. Your patience, enthusiasm and willingness to help no matter how busy you are means alot. Oh, and total credit needs to go to you for those two paragraphs in this chapter I totally pilfered from you!**

**2. Because the copious amounts of BLUE make this fic what it is. Seriously. Dependent. So lost without your help now. Is there like, a Beta Readers Anonymous or something? Coz I really need to get on that...Oh, and by the way – the lynch mob after Dani for not having Someday II up yet? Yeah, you should prolly come after me, seeing as I'm the one disturbing her from writing all the time!**

**3. Because you're pimpin' the ZA Secret Santa fic exchange! Which I must also do! All you writers! Head over to zaangels(dot)com(forwardslash)forums and check out the Secret Santa Fic Exchange – it can be found under 'Announcements'. Sign up for some fun this holiday season!**

**Ok, thanks also needs to go to all of my wonderful reviewers who continue to provide me with my motivation to write. You guys ROCK! As a side note, the Wasabi Peas incident referenced in this chapter...yes, another true life story from me and my wacky friends. **

**Ok, won't hold you up any longer because this a/n is gonna end up as long as the chapter but...I hope you like it!**

**Kylie xox**

**PS. Jessa, miss you like...I can't even think of a good line I miss you that much!**

**PPS. Shout out to Kylie (lovinzacefron93) – great name, huh?!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: When One Door Closes**

In that moment, everything suddenly made sense to Alexis. The memories, the photo's, the notes...they were the final pieces of the puzzle her mind had been in of late, and everything fell into place with a sickening click.

Troy's weirdness lately...the distant, vague air he had about him, the fond way he had looked at Gabriella all through dinner, the way they just seemed to _know_ one another...the ice, the mango incident, the whipped cream...it all fit.

Alexis clumsily wiped at her face with the backs of her hands, trying desperately to clear her vision which was blurred by the tears pooling in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. She pulled herself up from the floor, and turned back to the box on the table. Another photograph at the bottom of the box caught her gaze, and – despite her better judgement – she pulled it out, raising it into her line of sight.

A snapshot in time that captured Troy and Gabriella at what Alexis assumed was their high school graduation threatened to bring her to her knees once more. They were facing each other – foreheads touching – blissfully unaware of the camera which had immortalised them. The look of pure unadulterated love between them radiated from beneath the cool glass – their gaze so intense, so powerful that it sent a shiver down Alexis' own spine. She felt - in a weird way - like she was intruding on a private moment, but somehow couldn't tear her eyes away from the photograph.

So much so, that when Troy arrived home from work a half hour later, she was still sat at the table – silent, staring.

Troy came through the door whistling to himself. Work had been great that day – all the kids had worked really hard, and he and Jefferson had made sure they knew how proud they were of them and the effort they had put in. He was feeling pretty upbeat, the success of the day in the forefront of his mind - overshadowing the angst he had been feeling over his home life lately.

He hadn't noticed Alexis' car downstairs, so he was surprised to see her sitting at his kitchen table. He paused in the doorway of the kitchen – Alexis' back was to him, her shoulders shaking slightly but apart from that she was as still as a statue, her hands clutching at something Troy couldn't quite make out.

"Hey Lex," Troy said brightly. "How was your day?"

She didn't reply, and Troy frowned. Beginning to worry a little, he decided to continue to probe gently.

"Lex? Are you ok? What happened?" he asked, concern setting in as he dropped his bag and moved to stand behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her around to face him. He was shocked as he took in her appearance – her eyes red rimmed and slightly puffy, silent tears running rivers down her face. "Oh Lex," he whispered. "Babe, please don't cry...tell me what's wrong."

Alexis drew a shaky breath, raising her gaze to meet Troy's own.

"You lied to me, Troy. Why did you lie to me?" her words were neither hate-filled, nor accusing, but something about the disappointment in her soft tone stabbed Troy in the gut deeper than the sharpest knife. She knew.

"What...what, Lex...what are..." he stammered but fell silent as Alexis wordlessly handed him the photograph she was holding.

Troy looked down at the picture of himself and Gabriella on their Graduation day. He shivered at the wave of emotion that overwhelmed him, seeing that picture again and he couldn't help but trace the outline of her face beneath the glass. He remembered the exact moment it had been taken.

_Troy's heart melted the way it did every single time she looked up at him with those stunning brown eyes. He couldn't help but tilt his forehead forward to meet hers, closing his eyes briefly as he inhaled her unique scent before opening them again._

"_I'm so proud of you, baby...You are just amazing," _

"_Well you are pretty incredible yourself," Gabriella replied with a soft smile._

"_I can't believe that's it – we're done, we graduated," Troy breathed._

"_It's the end of one chapter," Gabriella agreed._

"_But the start of the next chapter – a new chapter of our lives...together," Troy told her before she tilted her head slightly to brush a soft kiss against his lips. _

_Returning to their previous position – foreheads touching, arms wrapped around each other's waists – the pair were quite content with the silence that blanketed them within their own little bubble as they blocked out the rest of the world._

_Until the click and flash of the camera shattered it all_

"_Mo-om!!"_

Troy suddenly became aware that Alexis was watching him. Her voice was softer than a whisper as she repeated her original question. "Why did you lie to me, Troy?"

"I...I didn't mean...I wasn't..." Troy knew there were no excuses that could be made here, no way out. She knew. "Alexis...Lex...I'm so, so sorry. It wasn't meant to happen like this, it really wasn't... one minute I was collapsed on the floor, and the next she was there and it all happened so fast and before I knew it she was gone and you never knew that I knew her and... I... I guess I thought I wouldn't see her again so there was no point in going through the past and... Fuck Lex, I just don't know!"

Alexis lowered her gaze, looking at the floor. "Why, Troy? I asked you last night – directly. You lied to my face," once again it was a calm yet disappointment-filled statement of the truth, rather than an angry accusation.

Troy took a seat beside her at the table, turning his chair and pulling hers around so that they were facing each other, their knees touching. He rested one hand on her left knee, rubbing his other hand over his face.

"It sounds so messed up and stupid to say out loud...and I guess it is, but it made sense in my head at the time. I just...I didn't want to hurt you. And I can see now that this has hurt you way more than the up-front truth would have and...I'm so sorry, Alexis. I hate that you had to find out this way," the raw emotion in his voice told Alexis his apology was genuine.

"How did you two meet?" she asked, still avoiding Troy's eye.

Troy let out a deep breath. He couldn't refuse her an answer – he couldn't deny her the truth she deserved.

"It was during winter break of our junior year at high school. We were both on vacation in Colorado. We met by chance, swapped phone numbers...but that was the end of it. The next week school started back and Gabriella...she was there. Her Mom's company used to transfer her a lot – East High was her fifth school in as many years," he explained.

"And you two...you fell in love?" it was half a question, half an acknowledgement.

Troy felt his cheeks burn, suddenly relieved that Alexis couldn't seem to look at him.

"It was...we were friends first. We were best friends before anything else. We knew each other better than we knew ourselves – better than anyone else did...it was like...I don't know, it was like..." he trailed off, suddenly realising that this gushing probably wasn't what Alexis wanted to hear.

"So what happened?" she asked, somewhat stiffly. "What went wrong?"

Troy sighed. "We were together for three years, but the last twelve months were tough...we were attending colleges on opposite sides of the country – me at UC Berkeley and Ella at Harvard," Troy noticed Alexis wince just slightly at the use of his nickname for Gabriella, but he continued. "There was no big blow up, no fighting – nothing bad at all, we just...I just couldn't handle the distance. I cracked. I broke her heart."

"And your own..." Alexis murmured.

Troy paled slightly. "I never...I..."

Alexis shook her head, reaching out to place two fingers over his lips, although her gaze still didn't quite meet his. "Don't..."

"Lex, I..."

"Do you still love her, Troy?' With her final question, Alexis managed to draw her eyes up level with his.

Troy opened his mouth, then closed it again, before opening it once more.

His hesitation was enough for Alexis. She smiled sadly, standing up from the chair and leaning over to place a lingering kiss on his forehead before picking up her bag and walking out of the apartment – her half cooked dinner still bubbling away on the stove.

She made it down the elevator and across the lobby with her head held high – even managing a nod to Santo the doorman on her way out. But as soon as she was safely shut within the confines of her car, the facade crumbled.

Her body was wracked with sobs as she leant against the steering wheel, wishing she could turn back the clock and do the past couple of weeks over – maybe she missed something, maybe she had turned a blind eye to the obvious, maybe she should have – and could have - realised sooner.

Maybe she could have fixed things before it was too late.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

When Alexis had left his apartment after finding out about the past he shared with Gabriella, Troy had remained seated at the table for a good fifteen minutes, just staring at the memories spread out in front of him.

The thoughts swirling through his head were overwhelming – blending into one another until he could barely figure out where the 'Shit, she knows...' finished, and the 'Gabriella...' began. He felt terrible that Alexis had found out about Gabriella and himself like that, he hated seeing her so upset and disappointed in him, and he was worried about her after the way she had taken off – knowing she was out there, driving whilst that distressed, scared the life out of him. Part of him had wanted to chase after her when she had left and force her to talk it through with him properly, while another part of him knew it was best to give her some space. Part of him was also glued to the photographs of him and Gabriella which had him completely entranced.

Alexis had thrown him a complete curveball with her question about whether or not he still loved Gabriella. Despite admitting to Chad previously that he may possibly be falling for his high school sweetheart again, Troy had still felt confident that he could say it was Alexis he loved – of course it was Alexis. But when actually faced with the question, the reality of it all had hit him like a brick in the face.

He couldn't bring himself to deny it.

A part of him was still in love with Gabriella.

Looking Alexis in the eye and telling her that he wasn't just hadn't been an option – it would have felt like he was betraying Gabriella. Troy was well aware of how crazy that sounded – betraying Gabriella by telling his own girlfriend he didn't love the dark haired beauty who had walked back into his life so suddenly.

Troy somehow knew that it wasn't right with Alexis. If he was meant to be with her, he wouldn't have taken even a single second to contemplate the possibility of reigniting a relationship with Gabriella. Regardless of whether Alexis was capable of forgiving him for his deceit, regardless of whether he was to pursue something with Gabriella - he knew that the relationship with Alexis needed to be ended.

Still, he had to talk to her properly first. He had to try harder to explain himself...she deserved that. He had given her twenty minutes – when he knew she would be home – before trying to call her. He was somewhat surprised when she had answered, however the shaky, pain-filled voice that murmured a 'hello?' made him feel sick to the stomach.

"Lex..." he breathed.

"Troy, now's not really a good..." he could hear her tears building as he cut her off.

"I know, Lex – I know. But I just need to tell you how sorry I am. I'm so sorry – sorry for not telling you outright, sorry for lying, sorry for..." he paused, not really knowing how to apologise for being in love. "Just sorry for everything."

"I know," Alexis whispered.

"And I need you to know that – despite how it may seem, with the secrecy and all – I wasn't cheating on..."

"Oh Troy," Alexis spoke up, cutting him off. "No, no, no – I never even considered that, not for a second. I know you wouldn't do that to me. The thought didn't even enter my mind, I promise you that."

Try closed his eyes as he felt relief flood him. At least there was still some element of trust remaining in their relationship – whatever the status of that was right now. No matter what happened from here between himself and Alexis, he didn't want it crumbling down around him in a pile of hate or accusation. He was a good guy, and he had always prided himself on the fact he knew how to be a gentleman, and considered respect for his girlfriend an integral part of a relationship. He would have hated knowing that things had turned sour because Alexis thought he had been sleeping with another woman.

Alexis broke Troy's relieved silence as she began to speak again, causing him to open his eyes.

"I need time though, Troy. I just need some time to take all this in and figure it out in my own mind. You understand that, don't you?" Alexis asked quietly.

"Of course. Of course I do," Troy responded reassuringly. He was in no position to be pushing her for anything right now.

"Ok, then...well..." Alexis trailed off.

"Yeah...well uh, I'd...I'd better let you go. I'll...I'll uh, speak you soo...when you're ready," Troy concluded.

"Bye, Troy."

With a soft sigh and a click of the line disconnecting, Alexis was gone.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella hummed to herself as she stood in front of the nurse's station, jotting down some notes in one of her patient's files. It was Friday afternoon, and she was looking forward to a relaxing and completely uneventful weekend. Signing off the notes with a flourish, she snapped the file shut and slotted it back in its spot on the shelf.

"Someone's in a good mood today!"

Gabriella jumped a mile at the sudden sound of the voice behind her.

"Nikita!" she gasped, her hand flying to her heart. "You scared me!" she let out a breath before joining in the laughter of her fellow medical student.

"Sorry, Montez, but it's not my fault that you were a million miles away."

"Touché," Gabriella replied with a grin as the pair headed to their supervisor's office to grab their bags and sign out for the day.

"So what is on your mind?" Nikita asked, before adding slyly, "Or should I say _who_?"

Gabriella blushed. "Nothing! _No one_!"

Nikita narrowed her eyes. "Whatever you say, Gabs – but for the record...I don't believe you."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Is it _so_ hard to believe that I'm just in a good mood and it has nothing to do with the male species? Or anything at all apart from the fact that it is Friday, and I have a whole weekend of nothingness stretching ahead of me?"

Nikita scoffed. "Please, Gabi – you've had this...twinkle in your eye _all week_. You've been a million miles away."

"Nik," Gabriella sighed. "Just because you live in a constant state of male-orientated awareness, it doesn't mean the rest of us do."

"Touché," Nikita cheekily imitated Gabriella. "...But I still don't believe you. Have a great weekend!" Nikita slung her bag over her shoulder and flounced out of the office with a wink and a wave, leaving Gabriella shaking her head and laughing.

The past four days had been somewhat like an emotional rollercoaster for Gabriella. One minute she was day dreaming about Troy, feeling rather giddy, and the next she was moping around with a tub of chocolate ice cream, a box of tissues and her (well worn) copy of _Moulin Rouge!_ on DVD.

Despite her mixed up and confused feelings for Troy, and the exhaustion she was feeling from spending many a sleepless night trying to work them out for herself, Gabriella couldn't help but feel an overriding sense of happiness every time she thought of him...moments which were becoming increasingly frequent. It was the little things that reminded her of him the most – she would be walking through the aisles of the grocery store and spot a packet of Wasabi Peas, giggling to herself as she remembered the New Year's party at Chad's where they had convinced him to try one and he had spat out the mouthful, proclaiming loudly that they 'tasted like LAWN!' Or she would be channel flicking and remember how it used to drive her _crazy_ when Troy did that...now she was in the habit herself. But then it was the little things that reminded her he was not hers too – when she would hear a funny joke and make a mental note to tell Troy, only to remember it wasn't her he was coming home to...it was so easy to get caught up in the euphoria of him being in her life once more, that Gabriella knew she had to take a step back and separate her fantasies from reality.

Switching her phone off silent as she walked out of the hospital doors and headed towards the car park, Gabriella bit her lip as she found herself automatically checking it for messages...from Troy. He had said he would call her during the week, and he hadn't.

As Gabriella started her car and drove away from the hospital, she couldn't help but worry that there was some specific reason he hadn't contacted her. Had she done something to scare him off? Or had something happened with Alexis?

As Gabriella indicated into her apartment block car park and killed the engine, she grabbed her cell and swiftly punched in a text. She started at it for a moment, the little cursor flashing innocently at the end, before shaking her head and deleting it.

He wasn't hers to worry about.

She climbed out of the car and rode the elevator to the eighth floor, pausing for a moment outside her apartment door as a sudden thought struck her. What if he was lying dead on the road somewhere?! She would have no way of knowing!

That was a good enough excuse for her brain as she speedily re-typed the text and hit 'send', before letting herself into her apartment and kicking off her shoes, getting settled for a relaxing night in.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy wandered around his apartment in a daze. He had fallen into a routine over the past hour or so – circle around the living room, loop through the kitchen, up the hall past the bedrooms, turn past the bathroom, back down to the living room. Repeat to infinitum.

The past four days had been hellish to the point of torturous. His mind had been filled with concerned and anxious thoughts about Alexis, as well as confused and mixed up thoughts about Gabriella.

As he paced he wondered what Alexis was going to say to him when she arrived. Did she want to smooth things over? Forgive and forget? Or was she going to tell him she never wanted to see his face again?

Troy wanted to hear her out before he made any rash decisions, but in his heart he knew what the right thing was – exactly as he had realised on Monday night: regardless of whether Alexis was willing to forgive him and move on, and whether or not he was to pursue things with Gabriella - the relationship with Alexis needed to be ended before his messed up headspace hurt her – or him – any further. He knew she deserved more than someone who was having doubts.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, distracting him from his thoughts as he pulled it out, his heart skipping a beat as he read the screen.

**1 New Message: Ella Cell**

_Troy - Just checking everything's ok. Haven't heard from u so...just let me know ur alright, k? G. _

Troy couldn't help the smile that grew on his face at her concern. She was so flawless, he just couldn't...

A knock at the door saw him shoving the cell phone back in his pocket, the text remaining unanswered as he crossed the apartment and opened the door to a slightly pale and tired looking Alexis. Taking in her worn appearance, the hint of purple under her eyes, and the nervous manner she was smoothing down her coffee coloured smock dress Troy felt yet another rush of guilt a the fact that he was the one who was the cause of this.

"Hey," he murmured softly. "Come in."

She gave him a small, grateful smile as he stood aside and she brushed past – entering the apartment that suddenly felt foreign to her. Despite the fact that the walls and other surfaces were still covered in photographs of her and Troy smiling happily together...there was a change in the atmosphere. Maybe it was an awkwardness that had existed all along, they had just been blind to it before?

"Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Water?" Troy asked politely.

Alexis shook her head. "I'm fine. I'd rather just...can we just talk?"

Troy nodded wordlessly, and placed a shaking hand in the small of Alexis' back, guiding her through to the living room, where they sat opposite each other. Alexis looked at Troy and he gave her a small nod, as if giving her permission to speak first.

"Ok, so I've done a lot of thinking this week – _a lot_," Alexis emphasised, leaving Troy in no doubt that whatever she was about to say had not been easy for her. He nodded, and she took a deep breath before continuing. "I know that you didn't set out to hurt me. I know you would _never_ purposely hurt me...but I've been hurt, Troy. And I know you're sorry, believe me I know how sorry you are and I have a great deal of respect for you being able to acknowledge your mistake and apologise – especially so genuinely. You're really one in a million, Troy," she said softly, reaching over to touch his face.

Troy opened his mouth to speak, but Alexis pressed two fingers to his lips, silencing him.

"Please...Just let me finish. I love you, Troy," tears began to pool in her eyes as she spoke. "But sometimes...sometimes if you love someone, you love them enough to let them go. I know you love me too, but not in the way that you should. Your heart belongs to Gabriella and I don't want to trap you into a relationship you will never be a hundred percent happy in," the tears were falling down her cheeks by now, and tears were also starting to form in Troy's eyes.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he felt like he should be relieved, but all he felt was pain. He hadn't expected for this to hurt so much, but he really had loved Alexis, and seeing her hurt, mixed with the final threads of what had been a beautiful relationship dissolving before his eyes was like a raw sting somewhere deep in his heart.

"Lex...don't say..."

"Shhh," Alexis soothed. "When I first found out about you and Gabriella...I never thought it would come to this. But then I saw it in your eyes. The way your eyes shone when you spoke about her...the fondness in your voice...and the clincher – the way you hesitated when I asked you if you loved her...Troy, if our relationship was what it should be, you wouldn't have even had to think twice before saying 'no'. Looking back now, I can see that there was always something missing in our relationship – a piece of your heart has always belonged to someone else. Now I know that person was Gabriella," she took a moment to wipe her eyes and compose herself a little, while Troy sat with tears streaming down his face. "You're a fantastic guy, Troy, and I want you to be happy. I also need to think about myself. I deserve someone who will love me completely – I don't want to be constantly worried in the back of my mind that your heart doesn't belong entirely to me...and I know deep down I'll never have a hundred percent of your heart. I think it is best for both of us if we end things here – amicably - before either of us gets hurt worse."

Troy reached out to brush a stray tear from her cheek. "I really do love you, Lex..."

Alexis cut him off, speaking softly. "But you're not _in_ love with me."

Troy swallowed, unable to confirm – but unable to refute. "You're an incredible, incredible woman – both inside and out. You deserve so much happiness and I'm sorry I couldn't be the one to give it to you. But some guy out there is going to be very lucky to have you one day. I'm so sorry it came to this...I know I've said it over and over, but...I never wanted to hurt you. The past eight months have been amazing...I really have had a fantastic time with you."

Alexis nodded tearfully. "You too, Troy," she replied as she rose from the couch. Troy rose with her, and they stood facing each other. "Keep in touch, huh?" she said with a soft smile, cupping his cheek.

Troy ran his hand softly through her hair and gave her a nod. "You too, Lex."

Alexis stroked her cheek gently with his thumb as she rose on tip toes, pressing her trembling lips against his, their tears mingling as she allowed them to remain there for a moment before she pulled back.

"Goodbye, Troy," she murmured, slowly sliding her hand from his cheek before taking a step back, picking up her bag, and leaving his apartment for the last time.

Troy watched in silence, unable to speak as he watched the door slowly close behind her. It wasn't until the door finally clicked shut that he found his voice, the words ghosting from his mouth softer than a whisper.

"Goodbye, Alexis..."

* * *

**Wow, wow, wow – what's this? A chapter without a big cliffy! Well, I'll be damned! I hope you all enjoyed that chapter...it was a challenge for me to write, but I hope you all understand all the characters reactions and why they said what they said and acted how they acted!**

**UP NEXT: Troy runs, where does he end up? And how will Gabriella react when she finds out what has happened between Troy and Alexis? **

**Please please pretty please review and let me know what you thought!**


	10. A New Door Opens

**Hey all :) Well, between a whole load of real life crapooola that I won't bore you with, and HSM3 finally being released here in Aus and me seeing it three times in five days, teamed with a fairly hefty case of writer's block, you'll have to excuse me for not having this chapter up sooner. It's a long chapter though, so hopefully that makes up for the wait a little bit.**

**I have to thank the amazingly patient and talented Dani (Pandora147 – if you're not reading **_**Someday**_** then shame on you!) for all her help with this one, and always having time to go over my work with me when I'm whining about wanting to delete entire chapters because they are driving me so nuts. Again, you should probably blame me if she's not writing as fast as she'd like. **

**Thanks also to Jessa – who totally has a new 'puter, yo! – for giving me her **_**hypothetical**_** opinions on Gabriella's thought processes.**

**Thanks last but not least to all of you guys for your amazing reviews. It's YOU that I write for. **

**Hope you enjoy,**

**Kylie xox**

* * *

**Chapter 10: A New Door Opens**

As the reality of the situation hit, something inside Troy snapped. He fled from his apartment, bursting through the entrance to the lobby of the building just in time to see Alexis' car disappear into the night. Troy turned and began to jog in the opposite direction. The light drizzle turned into a drenching downpour of rain as the heavens suddenly opened in all their glory. Troy broke into a run, closing his eyes as they filled with the rain drops that were pelting at him front on.

He had no idea where he was going, he just ran. He had to get away. He had to clear his mind. He ran and ran and ran, through street after street, park after park, down sidewalk after sidewalk, running – just running, anywhere.

Time suddenly had no meaning – he had no idea of how long he had been running, or even where he'd been. All he knew was that he'd come to a sudden stop, pushing his sopping wet hair out of his eyes and staring up at the familiar white building in front of him...

Gabriella groaned as she rolled over in bed, a loud knocking echoing through her apartment. "Urrrgh," she mumbled. "Go away!"

She pulled her pillow over her head, trying to block out the sound, but it only got louder.

"Urrgh! Fine! I'm coming!" she yelled, throwing back the covers and pulling an oversized sweat shirt over the top of her baby blue tank top and white polka dot pyjama shorts as she crossed the living room towards the front door, which she yanked open. "What?" she snapped. "Don't you know what...Troy?"

Troy Bolton was standing in her doorway, dripping wet – absolutely soaked to the bone. His face was pale, his hands shaking - tear's mingling with water droplets that were snaking their way from his hairline down his face. His shirt was clinging to his well defined chest, his water drenched jeans riding low on his hips.

Troy opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"Troy? Troy, what's happened? What's wrong?" Gabriella fretted, placing a hand on his arm and leading him into the apartment, grabbing a towel from a pile of freshly folded laundry as she went. She handed him the towel and he gave her no response, staring at the towel like he had no idea what it was as he continued to struggle with finding any words – causing Gabriella's panic to escalate. She had never seen him like this, and her mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusions. Was someone hurt? Had someone _died_? She helped him over to the couch and sat him down, taking a seat beside him. "Troy, please – you're scaring me."

Fiddling nervously with a corner of the towel, Troy's fixed, glazed eyes were focused straight ahead as he finally found a voice – albeit a raspy, barely audible one. "It's over... She's gone... It's...it's over."

Gabriella was hit by a sinking feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. "Troy... What's over...?" she asked carefully.

"Alexis, she..." Gabriella felt her heart drop. "It's all just...over..." Troy trailed off, his head suddenly snapping up, his eyes flickering sideways and landing upon Gabriella. As if he'd been in a stupor this whole time, and only just realised where he was and who he was talking to, Troy jumped up – a rambling tirade of apology mingled with a garbled explanation spilling from him before Gabriella had a chance to say a word. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. Oh my...Ella, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have...I didn't even think, and..." his eyes swept over her, taking in her attire, "Oh god, I woke you up, didn't I? I don't even know why I...I'm sorry..."

Gabriella's heart melted and she rose from the sofa to stand in front of him, rubbing her hand comfortingly up and down his arm. "Hey, hey – shhh," she soothed, her voice soft, her eyes full of compassion. "You've seen me in pyjama's plenty of times before! It's ok, Troy – it's ok. Just tell me what happened."

Troy wiped furiously at his eyes. "I shouldn't have come here. I don't even _know_ why I came here, I just... I just had to get out and I ran and I ran and then I was here which is a bit fucked given the situation and I don't even know why I'm upset since it should have made my life easier but instead I'm just a fucking mess and... Fuck Ella, you don't need any of this crap," he finished, dropping the towel to the floor in frustration.

Gabriella laughed in spite of her worry. "Your crap is my crap Troy. You don't just come to someone's house in the middle of the night and walk out without explaining to them what is going on."

Troy fell silent, rubbing his hand over his face before slowly sitting himself back down on the couch. He had barged in on Gabriella unannounced – practically in the middle of the night: the least he could do was give her an explanation.

"I fucked up. I fucked up so bad."

She sat down silently beside him, looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. Troy sighed and rubbed his hand over his face once more before opening his mouth to – finally – speak properly.

"After you went home on Sunday, Alexis asked me outright if we knew each other before the whole peanut thing. I told her we didn't. I don't know why I didn't just tell her the truth, I just...I didn't want to hurt her, I couldn't do it to her at that very moment. I needed time to sort out my own head before I went and dropped that bombshell," Troy glanced at Gabriella quickly. "And I do realise that makes me sound like the most selfish asshole alive, but..."

"Troy," Gabriella interrupted, placing a comforting hand on his knee. "You cared. You made a mistake, but your intentions were good," she told him softly.

Her gentle touch calmed Troy as he closed his eyes for a moment. Opening them again he re-commenced his explanation. "There was a box in my spare room that was full of bits and pieces I kept from high school...random photo's, yearbooks...as well as pictures of the two of us, and every single letter, card or note you ever wrote me..." both Troy's and Gabriella's cheeks coloured slightly at this admission, and Gabriella averted her eyes, staring into her lap. Nevertheless, Troy continued. "On Monday, Alexis decided to surprise me by making dinner ready for when I got home from work. She came across the box, and...well..."

"Oh Troy," Gabriella looked up just as he looked away, blinking furiously. He was NOT going to cry again. "No..."

Troy shrugged and looked back at Gabriella. "I lied to her, Ella. I...I deserved this, and more."

Gabriella frowned. "But surely she wouldn't end a perfectly good relationship because of one lie," her eyes suddenly widened, fear and guilt coursing through her. "She didn't... She doesn't think that we...?"

Troy knew what she was asking without her even having to say the words. He shook his head. "No. She knew I would never do that to her. But I should have told her the truth from the very beginning. It shouldn't have ended like this. I shouldn't have let her find out this way," Troy spoke faster and faster has the shock and guilt he was feeling took control. Tears pricked his eyes and he closed them, willing himself to hold them back. "It should have been _me_ to tell her the truth... to tell her that... to tell her that..." he trailed off, overcome by emotion and leaving the rest of his sentence unsaid. _'To tell her that it needed to be over because I'm in love with you..._'

Gabriella was struggling with her own emotions, thought and feelings as she watched the man in front of her fall apart. A man who was normally so composed, so together – so brave. She couldn't help but feel that this was her fault – that if she hadn't have come back into Troy's life, he and Alexis would still be perfectly happy right now. But right now, he didn't need to be lumped with her guilt on top of his own. He needed a friend.

"Troy..." she started carefully. "I know you're hurting and I'm so, so sorry about everything that has happened but...but you can't beat yourself up about it. You're a good guy Troy, and Alexis knows that – she does. You made a mistake – you're only human, we all do it. You were scared, I...I get it," Gabriella was trying her hardest to sound confident and sure of herself when her head was screaming '_I understand because I feel the same way! My feelings are confusing the hell out of me too!'_

Troy hung his head. "I don't deserve the sympathy, Ella, I really don't...I've screwed up everything. Me and my stupid, mixed up...I just...I can't believe she's gone for good..."

Gabriella didn't need to see his face to know that his tears were now falling freely. His shoulders were shaking, his head in his hands, his very foundations crumbling before Gabriella's eyes. So she did the one thing that felt right. She slipped a slightly tentative arm around his trembling shoulders, before reaching her other arm out and pulling him to her in a tight hug. Sobs racked Troy's muscular body as he clung to her, crying out his anguish, hurt, shock and guilt.

Gabriella felt his tears wet against the crook of her neck and her heart broke for the pain he was feeling. She soothingly began to rub her hand over his back.

"It'll be ok, Troy. It will all be ok," she whispered to him, her tone comforting. "Shhh...I promise, it will get better. I promise."

Gabriella fell quiet as Troy's sobs began to subside. Eventually he pulled back, his slightly bloodshot eyes meeting her sympathy filled ones. She gently wiped a stray tear from his face as he cupped her cheek in his hand, his eyes searching hers.

"Gabriella, I..."

Gabriella could hardly breathe. She suddenly forgot why he was there and the anguish tormenting him as she found herself drowning in a sea of blue. The rhythmic caress of his slightly calloused thumb on her cheek was mesmerising, causing a fog to filter through her mind as she allowed her eyes to drift closed.

"Ella, I..." she opened her eyes as she felt Troy stiffen, removing his hand from her face and straightening up. "I...I'm so, so sorry for dumping all of this on you. It's the last thing you need and...and I should just...go..."

As Troy trailed off a booming clap of thunder rocked the apartment, accompanied by a flash of lightening that spliced across the dark and unforgiving night sky. Gabriella winced at the sound as she created a distance between them, moving to the window and peered out into the raging storm.

"It's really coming down out there," she said softly. Mesmerised by the sheets of rain pounding against the glass, Gabriella didn't realise Troy was right behind her until he spoke. She jumped, turning to face him.

"I, uh...I'm so sorry I dragged you out of bed. Thanks for," he paused for a moment, before settling upon "Thanks for everything. Again, I'm...I'm sorry to have dragged you into my fucked up mess and, yeah – I'm just gonna head off..."

Another crack of lightning ripped through the midnight sky, further illuminating both of their features which glowed in the dim light of Gabriella's apartment, a crash of thunder following seconds behind.

Gabriella glanced over her shoulder at the brutal weather before turning back to Troy, shaking her head. "There's no way you're going back out in that," she said simply.

"Gabriella, I..." Troy started only to be cut off.

"Troy, it's dangerous out there. You're already soaking wet. You're not in the right frame of...I just don't think you should risk going out in..." the rest of her sentence was drowned out by an almighty rumble and yet another flash of lightning, as if mother nature was trying to prove Gabriella's point.

"I don't..."

"Troy, this is me talking as a concerned friend – I have it on good authority that the bed in the guest room is actually pretty comfy, believe it or not, but you can give me your opinion on it in the morning, ok? I'm not letting you go out in this weather. You're drenched enough as it is," she pointed out, gesturing to his shirt which was still stuck to him. "I won't take no for an answer."

Troy just nodded numbly. He was emotionally exhausted – there was not an ounce of argument left in him. "Ok. Ok, I'll...Thank you," another rumble of thunder echoed through the atmosphere as he conceded defeat.

Gabriella gave him a sad smile. "I know it all seems hopeless right now, and it's mixed up, and it hurts, and it just seems like there's no way out...but it will get better. You need to try and get some sleep – things will seem clearer in the morning. They always do."

Troy just nodded, his entire body beginning to know the ache of exhaustion, his muscular frame shivering as he finally started to feel the cold.

"Come on, you need to get warm before you end up with Pneumonia. The bathroom is first on the left right there, directly opposite the guest room. Give me your shirt and your jeans and I'll start drying them off while you shower."

As a testament to just how numb his mind was, Troy's expression remained blank as he obediently peeled off his soaking shirt and soggy jeans, not a thought given to modesty. Gabriella felt her cheeks grow warm as the chiselled abdomen area was exposed to her for the first time in six years. She forced herself to tear her eyes from his body and instead focused on his face, his eyes haunted and his expression somewhat broken. Her stomach churned with guilt as that nagging voice in the back of her head kept chiding her. _This is all your fault..._

Blocking those thoughts out, Gabriella took Troy's wet clothes from his hand and he jumped slightly as her touch coincided with a particularly loud clap of thunder. Standing there in the middle of her apartment in only his boxer shorts - a mess of emotions and confusion – Troy had never felt more vulnerable.

"There are fresh towels on the rack in the bathroom," Gabriella said, breaking the silence between them.

"Huh? Oh. Right. Ok, shower. Right."

Gabriella smiled softly as he turned and made his way towards the bathroom. When he reached the doorway, he turned to looked back at her.

"Thanks Ella," he said quietly, a rueful expression on his face. Gabriella nodded. A lingering moment of eye contact followed before he broke it, entering the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

Gabriella remained where she was for a moment before sighing softly and heading into the laundry. She wrung the rainwater from the shirt and tossed it into the dryer, closing the door and switching the machine on before pulling the belt from the jeans and wringing them out over the sink. Walking back out into the living room she noticed the water was no longer running in the bathroom. She hung Troy's jeans over the radiator to dry before heading towards the guest room.

"There's extra pillows in the..." Gabriella trailed off and couldn't help but smile to herself as she was met by the sight of Troy fast asleep on the guest bed, his green and white plaid boxers sitting snug on his hips, his hair slightly damp against the pillow. The comforter was bunched around his feet – he hadn't even managed to pull it over himself before succumbing to his exhaustion.

She moved silently over to the bedside, carefully grabbing the end of the pale blue comforter and pulling it over him, letting it rest at his shoulders. He subconsciously settled down further into the bed - grunting softly as he rolled onto his side, pulling the comforter tighter around himself.

She crouched down next to the bed, bringing herself level with his sleeping face and reaching out her hand, gently brushing some of his floppy hair out of his eyes. She allowed her fingers to run right through his hair until her hand came to rest at the back of his head.

"Oh Troy," she murmured. "What are we going to do with you?"

Leaning over, Gabriella brushed a soft kiss against his forehead before straightening up and moving back to the doorway. Leaning against the frame, she paused - watching Troy for a moment as he slept, before whispering him a 'goodnight' and switching off the light.

She padded back down the hall, flicking on the kitchen light and bringing herself to a standstill against the breakfast bar where she rested her hands, staring at her reflection in the door of the oven.

When Troy had ended their relationship she never, ever imagined herself in this position six years later – trying to squash down feelings for him that were flooding her all over again, and blaming herself for the sudden break up of him and his girlfriend.

Gabriella pushed herself away from the bench and poured herself a glass of water, flipping the kitchen light off as she walked towards her bedroom in darkness. Setting the glass on her nightstand, she pulled off the sweatshirt she had thrown over her pyjamas and climbed back into bed. Her head fell back onto the soft pillow and she closed her eyes, willing sleep to claim her. But as a hundred and one thoughts filled her head, she knew she was fighting a losing battle. Rolling onto her side, she flipped her bedside lamp on, the soft glow of the dim light illuminating the picture that lay face down on the nightstand, the silver frame glinting.

She reached out and righted the frame, gazing at the picture before her. A shiver raced through her body as she closed her eyes, holding the picture close to her heart and imagining the feeling of Troy's arms wrapped around her the way they were in the photo.

She was immediately flooded with guilt as she remembered that Troy was lying in the next room, going through hell...because of her. He'd just come out of what had seemed like the perfect relationship and she couldn't help but blame herself. Everything that had gone wrong for Troy seemed to point back to her as the cause. If she had never come back into the picture – if she had pushed him back out of her head after making sure he was ok at the hospital that day – he would have been completely happy and content with Alexis.

_Alexis._

Even thinking the name caused a chill to run through Gabriella. She was such a great girl – a wonderful person, and really good for Troy. Gabriella felt terrible that she had felt no other option but to end a relationship with someone as fantastic as Troy because of a situation that would not have occurred if she had just had the self control to butt out of his life. Yet a part of Gabriella couldn't help but feel elated that Troy and Alexis were no longer together. As soon as that thought entered her mind, though, she felt horrified at herself for thinking it and the guilt increased tenfold.

'_My god,_' Gabriella thought to herself. '_Whoever thought I'd be a home-wrecking slut by age 24?'_

Replacing the framed photo on her bedside table, Gabriella rolled away from it with a sigh. She had no idea why Troy had come to her apartment tonight. He had run numbly through the streets of Boston...and ended up at her building. Didn't he didn't have any other friends in Massachusetts? Or was his subconscious just telling him that that was where he belonged? Was it fate?

Gabriella groaned and rolled onto her back, throwing her arm over her eyes. They needed to talk in the morning, there was no way they could avoid that. But what was she going to say to him? And more importantly, what answers was he going to give her?

An endless buzz of questions combined with her feelings of guilt and self blame swarmed her as she eventually sank into a restless sleep, vowing that – when she woke – she would sit down with Troy and talk it all out until everything was sorted.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella rolled over with a groan as the glowing red numbers on her clock glared at her.

7.18am

She had tossed and turned until she finally fell asleep around 3.20am – 4 hours was NOT a sleep in her books, and 7.18am was practically the middle of the night considering it was a Saturday morning.

What had kept her awake half the night anyhow? Gabriella rubbed her bleary eyes as the rest of the room gradually came into focus. Rolling onto her side she blinked to clear her vision, catching site of the picture of herself and Troy sitting on the nightstand.

Troy...

"SHIT!" she cursed, sitting bolt upright before throwing back the covers and pacing her bedroom as memories of the previous night came flooding back, reminding her _exactly_ why she hadn't slept well. Troy had turned up on her doorstep looking half drowned, and breaking down on her because Alexis had ended things with him.

And he was still in her apartment.

Asleep in the room next door.

Catching sight of herself in the mirror, Gabriella shuddered – her hair was frizzy and sticking out at about seven different angles, she had mascara smudges under her eyes having forgotten to remove her make-up, which only added to the dark shadows highlighting the huge bags there, and she was quietly confident that anyone that came within three feet of her was at risk of death-by-morning-breath.

Deciding a shower could only improve the situation, Gabriella headed towards the bathroom. As she passed the spare room, she found herself automatically drawn to the door which was open a chink. Peering through the tiny crack, she breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Troy was still fast asleep.

Continuing on to the bathroom, she showered and scrubbed her hair and face before wrapping herself in her fluffy white bathrobe and heading back to her bedroom where she dressed in a pair of jeans, a purple camisole top and a grey cardigan. Running a brush through her hair as she made her way to the kitchen, nerves began to settle in Gabriella's stomach as she anticipated what would happen when Troy woke up.

Pushing any thoughts about The Conversation to the back of her mind, Gabriella busied herself with making breakfast. As she scrambled eggs, laid several strips of bacon in the frypan to cook, and popped some waffles in the toaster, she didn't even notice that she'd automatically began fixing what had been Troy's favourite breakfast back in high school.

She was just setting the table and contemplating how best to wake Troy, when she heard the creak of a door and footsteps muffled against the polished floorboards.

"Good morning," she said softly as he appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, hair sleep tousled and fists rubbing at his eyes.

"Hey," he replied tiredly. "That smells amazing."

Gabriella smiled. "Lucky I made enough for two, then," she commented. "Here, have a seat."

"Um, Ella...Would it be ok if, uh...Can I just grab my, uh," he scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks reddening slightly. "Uh, first...clothes...breakfast, um..." he mumbled.

"Oh!" Gabriella exclaimed, blushing as she clicked that he was wanting the clothes she had dried the night before, not quite able to believe her brain hadn't registered the fact he was standing half naked in her kitchen. "Of course. Yeah. Um. Gimme a sec," she hurried from the kitchen and grabbed his jeans from the living room and shirt from the laundry. "Here you go," she said, passing him the clothes. He murmured his thanks as he pulled on the shirt and pants, before taking a seat across from her at the table.

"So, uh...how'd you sleep?" Gabriella asked politely, inwardly cringing at herself – his world had crumbled. Of course he slept just _fine_. However is answer surprised her.

"Pretty well, all things considered. I just...crashed," he explained, a moment of silence following as he chewed then swallowed. "Thanks again for letting me stay, Ella. And for just...being there."

"Forget about it – I just did what any good friend would do," she said firmly before looking down at her plate, pushing the last few bites of bacon around with her fork. "We do need to talk, though."

Troy nodded. "I know. You deserve more of an explanation than the garbled mess of male angst I delivered last night."

Gabriella shook her head, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. He was still hurting – she could see it in his eyes – but he seemed more composed somehow, more...more _Troy_. "I did a month long rotation on the Psych ward at Mass Gen – lemme just say, you got nothing on some of those guys," Gabriella joked, causing a smile from Troy. It didn't quite reach his eyes, but it was a start. Silence fell between them once more, only to be broken by Gabriella, who found herself suddenly unable to control her own voice. "Troy, am I a home-wrecking slut?" she blurted out before clapping her hands over her mouth, her eyes widening in shock. "I totally didn't mean to say that aloud," she squeaked.

Troy couldn't hold back the hollow laugh that escaped his lips. "Don't let me ever hear you use those words in relation to yourself ever again, hear me?" he said. His expression turned serious before he spoke again. Without her saying it directly, he knew the reasoning behind her sudden question. "I won't let you blame yourself for any of this, Gabriella. Alexis and I," he began croakily, clearing his throat before continuing. "Alexis and I...it was more than just me lying to her. Something was always missing, and we finally realised that. A piece of my heart has always belonged to someone else."

Gabriella opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again as she realised he wasn't done.

"You were always in my heart, Gabriella, even if I didn't realise it until now. And I won't deny – it was the fact that the thought of you churned me up inside that started to make me doubt things. But I couldn't lie to Alexis about my feelings...She asked me – she asked me if I still...I couldn't say no, and...My god, Ella, I don't know if it's just seeing you again or if it's real or...I don't know, there's just...something," Troy concluded with a sigh.

Gabriella nodded, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I feel it," she whispered. "I don't know exactly what it is, but it's...something."

"It wasn't fair on Alexis _or_ I to try and salvage our relationship. It was over before we even realised it. And Jesus, I don't even know why I was like I was last night – if I was doubting the relationship, I should be happy she made a decision for me! Shouldn't I be thankful that she saved me having to end things? I just...I don't..."

"Oh Troy," Gabriella murmured, "You love her – of course it is going to hurt. I'd be questioning you more if you _weren't_ upset about it."

Troy gave a soft laugh. "I should be looking on the bright side – at least we can spend time together without feeling guilty now," he looked at her almost shyly.

Gabriella's heart soared despite her head telling her to take a step back from her feelings. He _wanted_ to spend time with her. But the sensible and practical side of her knew that – whether either of them wanted something to happen between them or not – he needed time. Time to grieve, time to heal, time to figure out what it was, exactly, that he wanted.

"Troy, I...I think you...I think _we _just need time," she started carefully. "Neither of us knows what the future holds, but..."

Troy nodded. "I don't want to lose you again Ella – as a friend, or as...whatever may be," he clarified quickly. "But you're right – it's going to take time for me to get over Alexis and find my feet again. I don't want to rush into anything right now, I just can't and it wouldn't be fair on...anyone," Gabriella nodded understandingly. "So why don't...Why don't we start over. We'll start over as friends – get to know each other again, and just...just see what the future brings."

Gabriella smiled. It was going to take time for him to heal and she was going to be there for him if he needed her – every step of the way, regardless of what the future held for either of them. She extended her hand across the table suddenly, her eyes sparkling.

"Hi, I'm Gabriella Montez. And you are?"

Troy couldn't help the grin that extended from ear to ear as he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Troy Bolton. It's a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

**Well there you go. I managed not to write a cliff hanger! Woop! Let me know what you thought! Just it that shiny review button and make all my dreams come true :p**

**UP NEXT: It's the re-start of a beautiful friendship.**

**Until then,**

**Kylie xox**


	11. A Friend Like You

**Heya! Well, I got a new chapter up in 5 days instead of two weeks this time – do I get special points for that? Hehe. Thanks so much for all your reviews on the last chapter. As a stark contrast, this one is a load of light hearted fun. I hope you like it.**

**A huge thanks, a tonne of hugs, a batch of my specialty Mars Bar Slice, and a few dozen apologies for my persistent badgering to Dani for putting up with my annoyingess. The girl deserves sainthood, fo shiz.**

**And to Jessa for pushing me in the **_**write**_** direction :p Haha. Get it. **_**Cough. **_**And also for making me almost pee my pants after dubbing 'ROBO!TROY!'**

**Anyhooo...moving right along – here is chapter 11! Dedicated to the girls at fanforum for giving me a Kismet!Troy hehehe.**

**Kylie xox **

* * *

**Chapter 11: A Friend Like You**

"And in that situation, you would...?" Dr Jeremy Shaw prompted.

Gabriella drew a breath and looked the older doctor square in the eye, speaking confidently. "I would place an endotracheal tube – size to be determined by the size of the patient, administer the appropriate dosage of Adrenalin – again determined by the size of the patient, and commence defibrillation, administering Epinephrine, Vasopressin and or Amiodarone where necessary. Once the patient's condition was considered to be stable, I would take steps to pinpoint and correct the underlying cause of the cardiac arrest."

"In which case you would have blitzed your first Code Blue," Dr Shaw smiled. "Congratulations."

Gabriella grinned. "Thanks!"

"Well, I think I've tortured you enough for one day..."

"Oh pssh, I've enjoyed every minute," Gabriella brushed off the doctor's comment, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

Dr Shaw grinned and nodded. "You're an outstanding student, Miss Montez. It isn't every day we come across one as passionate about her chosen career path as you. Boston Children's is going to be very lucky to have you. You will be a fine doctor."

Gabriella blushed at the gray haired man's compliment, and looked at her feet. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, get out of here and take a lunch break before I call security on you!" he joked.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Gabriella laughed as she rushed out of the Emergency Department and up the stairs where she grabbed her purse and phone before heading downstairs to the cafeteria.

She yawned as she scanned the lunch menu, settling on a Thai chicken salad and a bottle of water before flopping into a chair at a vacant table, resting her head in her hands with her eyes closed for a moment before opening them again and pulling the lid off her salad, emitting another yawn after swallowing her first mouthful.

It was true what she had said to Dr Shaw, who was the Fellow of the Emergency Department at MassGeneral Children's. She _was _loving every moment of this final rotation, but she was _exhausted. _For the past week – with her Emergency Department position in mind – Dr Scarvo had been sending Gabriella down to paediatric emergency, throwing her right in the deep end with the doctors there. Besides that, her final year of medical school in general had been full on – she had sat her final exams for the medical licensing boards before she commenced her placement at MassGeneral, with the results due any day now. She had 2 weeks left of the rotation, followed by graduation, orientation at Boston Children's and then she had 2 weeks to relax before her residency started.

Taking another bite of her lunch, she scrolled through her phone, realising that she had a missed call from her mother. She also had a text from Taylor, wondering how she was and what she was up to, since the pair hadn't had a chance to talk properly for a few days.

Making a mental note to call both of them when she got home, Gabriella set her cell back down on the table, and continued eating her lunch before launching herself right back into the crazy – but incredibly exciting - world of the emergency department.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy sighed as he set down two large boxes on the living room floor and turned around in a circle, taking in the surrounding walls. In the three weeks that had passed since he and Alexis had ended their relationship, he had managed to ignore the reminders of the two of them which were scattered around the apartment – photographs on the walls, framed pictures on the mantle, and post-its with random messages scribbled in Alexis's handwriting stuck on his cork board.

Alexis had been around to collect a few bits and pieces that belonged to her and the pair had chatted somewhat awkwardly for a bit – despite the fact their break up as amicable, it still felt weird to try and make small talk when the air between them wasn't completely comfortable. Troy ended up making himself look busy cleaning in the kitchen for the majority of the time she was there.

Taking the final picture off the wall and closing the box, Troy looked around and noted how bare the apartment now looked. He figured he should probably shopping sometime in the next few days and pick up some pictures for the walls, or to go through his boxes of photos sitting in the spare room and pick out some to hang. He was then struck by a memory of the last time he tried to decorate himself, only to have his mother completely rearrange the place when she came to visit. Apparently interior decoration was not his forte. Gabriella, however, had always had an eye for stylish furnishings, and a knack for arranging them. Troy wondered vaguely if she would be keen to help him out.

In the last three weeks, the two had spoken on the phone a handful of times, and exchanged the occasional text message as well as grabbing lunch together once or twice, but mostly they had given each other their space. Gabriella knew Troy needed the time to clear his mind and sort out his thoughts, and Troy knew Gabriella was busy with the hospital and preparing for her approaching graduation.

Making a snap decision, Troy picked up his phone and typed out a text, scrolling through his contacts till he found the name and number he was looking for and hit send.

_Hey you, hope ur not workin 2 hard! Haven't seen u since last week...any chance u want 2 grab a coffee later? _

Setting his phone down on the table, Troy stacked the two boxes on top of one another and carried them into the spare room, setting them down in the back corner. He was just about to close the door when the box of his high school things that he had shoved back in there after Alexis had found them caught his eye. The photo of himself and Gabriella at her eighteenth birthday was sitting on top of the box and he picked it up, unable to stop the smile that grew on his face.

Instead of putting the framed photo back in the box Troy closed the door of the spare room, taking the picture with him and setting it down on the mantle. He stepped back and looked at it, deciding that it was one item of home decor he did not need help selecting. It looked perfect sitting in the middle of his living room.

Troy was distracted from his thoughts as his phone buzzed. He picked it up off the table, opening the text.

**1 New Message: Ella Cell**

_Hey urself, work = manic, but I luv it. Pretty sure I can pencil u in 4 coffee – 4.30 ok? _

Troy smiled to himself. That was Gabriella all over – working herself into the ground, but enjoying every moment. He typed back a quick reply and hit send, looking at his watch.

4.08pm.

"_Shit!_" Troy swore to himself as he sprinted off towards the shower, moving faster than he remembered having moved in his life, ever.

Besides the time Zeke's older sister had busted them going through her underwear draw.

Although this came fairly close.

A record six and a half minutes later, he was out the door and headed towards Second Cup Cafe.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella bounced out of work at ten past four and quickly dropped by her apartment to change before heading out to meet Troy. Pulling a long grey cardigan over her navy blue embroidered t-shirt dress as she climbed out of her car, she rushed into the cafe five minutes late, spotting Troy sitting at a table in the corner, absentmindedly twirling his car keys around his finger.

"Hey," she greeted breathlessly as she approached the table. "Sorry I'm late – it was either turn up on time and smelling like Purell, or drop in at home first to change."

Troy smiled broadly as he stood to hug her. As they pulled back from the hug, he impulsively kissed her on the cheek."Hey," he replied, pulling her chair out for her. "It's fine, I only got here a couple of minutes ago anyway.

"Oh good," Gabriella said, relieved, as she sat down. "So, how has your week been?"

Troy shrugged. "Yeah, pretty good. I've finally finished writing the new program for my under 12's that I've been working on. Apart from that I've just been hanging around home. I'm considering re-decorating actually. I may need help with that, though...last time I tried my hand at some DIY interior design, well...let's just say it wasn't pretty."

Gabriella's eyes lit up. "I'll help!" she stopped herself suddenly, blushing at her own enthusiasm. "I mean...y'know, if you needed...someone. To...assist. Or not."

Troy laughed lightly. "It's fine. I was actually hoping you would say that. I really am desperate for help," he admitted sheepishly.

"Well I don't mind. I have absolutely nothing on. I'm free whenever," Gabriella blurted, cringing inwardly at just how eager she sounded.

"Besides rocking the ED and getting ready for graduation," Troy commented.

Gabriella giggled. "Well, yeah – besides that."

"You sound like you're doing some amazing work there, Ella," Troy told her sincerely. "I'm so happy for you, I really am."

Gabriella gave him a soft smile, her stomach fluttering slightly at his heartfelt tone and the genuine look of pride in his eyes. "Thanks," she murmured, looking up as a waitress appeared at their side.

"Are you ready to order?" the pretty young girl – whose name badge read 'Kayla' – asked politely.

Troy nodded. "Oh - yes, I'll have a Hazelnut Latte thanks, and a Vanilla Chai Latte for the lovely Gabriella here," Gabriella's stomach fluttered for the second time as he ordered for her.

Kayla nodded, her dark brown ringlets bouncing around her shoulders as she scribbled on her notepad. "Anything else?"

Troy looked over at Gabriella - who was eyeing off the dessert cabinet – and smiled. "Yeah, I'll grab a slice of that awesome looking chocolate chip cheesecake. And 2 forks."

"Sure," Kayla smiled. "Won't be a moment," she announced brightly, bounding away with a spring in her step to prepare their order.

"So, I was thinking," Troy started, turning back to Gabriella. "Seeing as you have absolutely nothing on and you're free whenever," he teased, and she glowed red once more, "I was thinking maybe we could hang out on Saturday."

"No, sorry – I have plans," Gabriella replied, deadpan.

"Oh. Oh, ok then, well..." Troy backtracked, slightly embarrassed at his earlier confidence.

Gabriella started to giggle. "Troy, I'm joking. Saturday sounds great."

"Oh. Awesome," Troy replied, sounding somewhat relieved. "Well, uh...Well, I haven't thought about any definite plans yet, so I'll have a think and pick you up from yours around...10am?"

Gabriella nodded. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed. She knew that Troy was implying a platonic, 'we're-just-friends' day together, but she couldn't help the quiver of excitement that bubbled within her at the prospect of spending an entire day with him.

"And the Vanilla Chai for you, Miss?" Gabriella blinked as she realised Kayla had returned with their drinks and cake.

"Oh – yeah, thanks," she gave the sweet young waitress a smile. She _definitely_ needed to remember to call Taylor when she got home.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Saturday morning rolled around faster than anticipated, and found Gabriella awake much earlier than could be deemed human. She was up and showered by 7.18am, her freshly washed hair hanging down her back as she left it down to dry.

By 8am she had scrubbed the kitchen clean from top to bottom, after which she had called Taylor – who had grumpily reminded her of the time and the day of the week, before remembering from their mid-week discussion that Gabriella was spending the day with Troy, and perking up slightly. Seeing as though all Gabriella knew was that they were starting with brunch to start the day, she had struggled with outfit choices. Eventually deciding that seeing as it was just two friends hanging out, they settled on light blue denim capri's, a white baby doll style top, and white ballet flats.

By 9am Gabriella had said goodbye to her best friend, and sat herself in front of the bathroom mirror, slipping her straightener through her hair – not straightening it completely, just enough so that her previously frizzy ringlets were loose and soft, framing her face. Once she was satisfied with her hair, she brushed her teeth, pulled her make-up bag out from the cupboard and applied some foundation and some subtle bronze eye shadow, highlighting her eyes with eyeliner and a coat of mascara before smoothing a layer of clear lip gloss over her lips.

By 9.40am she was dressed and sitting on the sofa, jigging her knees nervously as she watched the clock.

By 9.48am she was telling herself – aloud – how stupid she was being.

"For heaven's sake, Montez – you've hung out as friends a billion times before. What do you have to be nervous about?"

At 9.52am she busied herself rummaging through her wardrobe for a cardigan to go with her outfit in case she got cold. Settling on her favourite grey one, she set it down with her purse and began pacing the entryway of her apartment.

At 9.59am she almost jumped out of her skin when a knock at her door echoed through the apartment. She froze on the spot, counting to 15 before walking to the door just so it didn't seem like she had been waiting there. She ran her fingers quickly through her hair, took a deep breath, and turned the knob.

Troy was standing on the other side of the door, a smile growing on his face as it opened. He was wearing a pair of dark charcoal gray jeans and a blue plaid button down shirt, and a pair of aviators clasped in his, his car keys dangling from a keychain which he had hooked around his finger.

"Hey," she greeted with a smile.

"Morning," he replied. "You ready?"

"Uh huh," Gabriella said with a nod. "Just let me grab my purse."

She doubled back into the living room to pick up her purse and cardigan, joining him back in the entryway after a sideways glance in the mirror on the wall to check that her hair and makeup were still good.

"Ok, ready," she announced, earning another smile from Troy.

"Awesome, let's get going then," he replied, standing aside to allow her to exit her apartment, before flipping the deadlock and pulling the door shut for her.

"So, where are we heading off to?" Gabriella asked once they were buckled up in Troy's car and on the road.

"Well I thought brunch at this little cafe just out of town called _Boulangerie_. The food there is great, you'll love it. They do the most amazing French crepes I've ever tasted."

"Mmm," Gabriella moaned. "You're making my mouth water already."

Troy laughed. "And as for the rest of the day, the plan is that there's no plan. I figured we'd just...see where the day takes us."

"Sounds good to me," Gabriella shot him a smile. It reminded her exactly of high school – the days where he would pick her up in the morning in his truck, and they would just go with the flow. Some of the best memories she had from school were from those days with Troy.

Before she knew it, Troy was parking the car and the two were being seated inside the quaint cafe. Gabriella closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as an incredible mixture of aromas filled her nostrils.

"Smells good, huh?" Troy grinned as he watched her.

Gabriella's stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly, and both she and Troy burst out laughing.

"Guess I should take that as a yes," he said. "We'd better get some food into you, then."

Troy was right. The French crepes at _Boulangerie _were amazing. Only a small but comfortable amount of conversation was exchanged over brunch as the two chewed and swallowed mouthful after mouthful of heaven.

"Oooh, I'm completely stuffed," Gabriella groaned as she set her knife and fork down on her empty plate. "Wherever else we go today...it's gonna have to be somewhere you can roll me."

"Well I actually was going to suggest ten pin bowling...I wonder if they'd give us a discount if we told them we didn't need to borrow a ball?" Troy joked.

Gabriella snorted into her latte before looking up at him, both their eyes sparkling. "We can only try," she said with a shrug and Troy laughed.

"I was only half joking about the bowling though – what do you say?"

"I say that sounds like a brilliant idea," she agreed, draining the rest of her drink and taking her wallet out, only to be stopped by Troy, who put his hand over hers.

"Uh uh – put that away. My treat."

"No, but..."

"Uh!" Troy held up a finger, silencing her. "I insist."

Gabriella attempted to protest again, but Troy mockingly glared at her. "One more word, Montez, and I _swear_..."

She giggled, rolling her eyes. "Okaaaay, okay, but Troy?"

"Mmm?"

"Just so you know, bowling is _my_ treat."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"No way, Bolton – you're just jealous that I whooped your butt - _twice,_" Gabriella retorted, waving the scoreboard print outs from the bowling alley in front of Troy's face as he killed the engine of his Prius and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Oh please, it was a total fluke – I don't know how you managed to score at all after you bowled the ball _backwards_ and nearly broke that poor woman's foot..."

"Hey!" Gabriella exclaimed indignantly. "If you hadn't snuck up behind me and made me lose my grip on the ball that never would have happened! You and your dirty tactics..."

Troy laughed as he recalled the look on her face and her shriek of surprise as he'd dug his fingers into her ribs from behind. Desperate times called for desperate measures! He had been losing to a _girl_! The fact he had still lost despite his valiant efforts to save face didn't count.

"Aaah, shut it Montez – you're just peeved that my idea of what you could buy Taylor for her birthday was better than yours," he teased, referring to the stop they had made at their local mall after leaving the bowling alley as he climbed out of the car and moved around to open the passenger door.

"Hey - a blender is a perfectly good present, thank you very much. Taylor loves smoothies!" Gabriella defended herself with a pout as she joined him on the sidewalk, the two falling into step with one another as they entered through the gates of Christopher Columbus Park.

"Yeah, but a Nintendo Wii is _so_ much better. Especially when you team it with Wii Fit – it's like a life-long gym membership!"

"Are you calling Taylor fat?" Gabriella jibbed, digging him in the ribs with her elbow.

Troy laughed and shook his head, taking a moment to contemplate just how surreal it was that they were once again together, interacting so naturally. "You'd never know we hadn't seen each other in six years, would you?" he commented.

Gabriella giggled. "Honestly...today I've felt like I'm seventeen all over again. It feels so good to leave work and study and bills and adult responsibilities behind for a while and just...have fun."

Troy nodded. "It does. Spending today with you has made me realise just how much I've missed our friendship...We were always the best of friends."

"We were. I hope...I mean I'd like it...I...It would be cool if we could get back to that place," Gabriella commented. "I mean, like...as friends we were always so comfortable with one another...we always had so much fun together."

"We did," he replied softly, falling quiet after that as the two of them walked side by side along the path.

Gabriella giggled after a moment, stopping suddenly. Troy halted a few paces ahead and turned to face her.

"In the spirit of all things nostalgic..." she started, shooting him a cheeky grin. "CHASE ME!"

Before Troy had a chance to register what she had said Gabriella had taken off at a sprint and shot past him, giggling breathlessly, her hair billowing out behind her.

"That's it, Montez – you're asking for it," he yelled, grinning as he took off after her.

Gabriella was laughing so hard as she ran that it didn't take long for Troy to catch up to her. He grabbed her around the waist from behind, picking her up and spinning her around as she squealed.

"Even with my steel kneecap you're fighting a losing battle, Ella," he teased, setting her down and allowing her to catch her breath.

"You're a dirty cheat, Wildcat," Gabriella announced, poking him. Her high school nickname for him slipped out without her even thinking.

"And how, pray tell, does catching up to you make me a cheat?" he asked teasingly, poking her right back and taking a seat beside her as she flopped down on a bench at the side of the path, noticing what she had called him, but refraining from calling her out on it.

"It just does," Gabriella explained with a grin.

Troy sighed dramatically. "Fair enough," he said. "I guess I'll live."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders in half a hug, a slight shiver racing through him when she automatically rested her head against his shoulder, leaving it there even when he removed his arm.

The sun was beginning to set and the entire park was bathed in a deep orange glow, the crisp chill of winter biting at the early evening air that rose off the harbour that lay just beyond the park. Troy and Gabriella watched as the sun sank lower, lost in a comfortable silence as the rest of the world passed by.

"Hey Ella?" Troy said softly after a few moments.

"Mmhmm?" she murmured in reply, lifting her head from his shoulder to look at him properly.

"Do you think I'd be pushing my luck if I asked if you were free tomorrow to help me out with that redecorating issue?"

Gabriella smiled as she settled her head back against his muscular arm, watching as the last of the sun's rays shimmered around the treetops before dipping down into Boston Harbour.

"Maybe," she replied, pretending to look thoughtful. "But just so you know...I'd probably say yes."

* * *

**Oh snap! So, what did you think? Pretty please hit that sparkly review button!**

**UP NEXT: Troy looks really hot, as per usual. And Gabriella might actually call her Mom!!! (yeah, I got nothin' lol).**

**Until next time (and don't forget to review!),**

**Kylie xox**


	12. Always Makes It Easy

**I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas (or whatever you celebrate!)! I got extremely spoilt and ate way too much awesome food hehe. You can blame Christmas for this not being up sooner, the last fortnight has been manic – you know how it is!**

**So, I now present to you...chapter 12, which comes with my heartfelt declaration of love to the wonderful Dani for her five-star betaing skills, and a huge shout-out to Michaela for all her ideas, and inspiration for different parts of this chapter! Thanks for all your reviews!**

**Without further ado...**

**Kylie xox**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Always Makes It Easy**

"Troy," Gabriella groaned, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead. "Have you never heard the rule about blue and green?"

"Uh...evidently not..." Troy replied as he held a 'Medium Dark Blue' and a 'Forest Green' colour swatch side by side.

Gabriella giggled and rolled her eyes, plucking the green swatch from his hand and replacing it with one labelled 'Sky Blue'. "_Blue and green should never be seen, unless there's a contrast in between_"she recited. "Besides, if you're going with a feature wall like we discussed, you'll need a darker shade and a lighter shade of the same colour. Or something completely different that at least complement each other," she scanned the wall in the hardware store covered with tiny coloured cardboard rectangles before plucking two from their holders, and showing him. "Like..."

"Brown and...Puce?" Troy cut her off, raising an eyebrow.

"_Ochre_ and _Cream_," Gabriella corrected, thumping him on the arm.

"Fine, but we're not painting my living room Brown and Puce anyway. How about..." he scanned the wall for a moment before pulling out another 'Medium Dark Blue' and another 'Sky Blue' swatch. "Oh, I know! Medium Dark Blue, and Sky Blue! Great colours. Perfect match for a feature wall too."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Oh _wow_! Wish _I'd_ thought of that," she commented sarcastically, before grabbing him by the arm and dragging him towards the paint mixing station. Troy handed the colour swatches over to the sales assistant – a pimply pubescent male whose nametag read 'Kelvin' – before turning to Gabriella.

"You know, I still think blue and green go perfectly well together. I'm pretty sure I even have a blue and green striped shirt somewhere..."

"Troy!" Gabriella laughed. "No blue and green together on the walls! End of story!"

"She's right, man," Kelvin chipped in, setting two cans of paint on the counter in front of them with a big grin on his face. "Sometimes you just have to admit defeat to the missus."

Gabriella almost choked and Troy turned a brilliant shade of red, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"Ahh, yeah so uh...we're just gonna take the paint and uh...go..." he muttered, grabbing the paint tins and the basket of other various items they had collected for his apartment and took off in the direction of the registers, Gabriella close behind - uncontrollable giggles beginning to replace her initial shock – leaving Kelvin looking completely and utterly bewildered.

When they made it through the registers and out to the car, Troy glanced at Gabriella who was still trying to control her giggles. He couldn't help but smile – the awkward feeling melting away as he watched her bite her lip, trying to suppress the laughter.

"So, missus hey?" he teased, nudging her gently in the side as he loaded the bags of paint and other items into the trunk of his car.

Gabriella felt a fresh wave of laughter rush over her, climbing into the passenger seat and buckling her seatbelt as he climbed in beside her. "Well you have to admit, Troy – we kinda did sound like an old married couple. Like you said yesterday – you'd never know we haven't seen each other for six years," she commented as she opened his glove box, pulling out his CD holder and riffling through for something to listen to.

"Poor Kelvin, he was so confused," Troy laughed, the movement of her flicking through the CD's catching his attention as he glanced sideways. "And what is wrong with Paramore, may I ask?"

"Nothing," Gabriella replied. "Just felt like a..._Jonas Brothers?_" she suddenly said in disbelief, pulling a CD from the sleeve. "And _Backstreet Boys? AND S CLUB 7??? _I know I haven't seen you for six years, Troy, but I _never_ would have picked you for a Jo Bro's fan," she teased.

"Ah, yeah, they're uh...they're Alexis'," Troy explained, the awkward air settling once more as Gabriella mouthed a soft 'ooh' and slipped the CD back in the case, quickly pulling out his Kings of Leon album and popping it in the player.

The two fell into silence through the rest of the drive home, partly lost in their own thoughts and partly lost for words. Gabriella quietly helped Troy to unload the trunk of his car when they reached his apartment, the silence lingering between them until they reached the lobby and Troy proceeded to walk smack into the automatic glass doors which – for some reason – didn't open as the two approached.

Gabriella bit her lip as Troy stumbled back, staring dazedly at the closed doors in front of him. Her self-control lasted approximately three seconds before she burst out laughing. Troy rubbed his forehead before turning to Gabriella, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm...I'm sorry," she gasped between giggles, clutching her stomach. "But you...but you...oh god, that was...so...funny..."

"Oh really, Montez," Troy said with a smirk, taking a step towards her as she took a step back, the movement causing the doors to open finally.

"Yes, you just...oh I can't breathe...so funny..."

"You know what's funny?" Troy asked, taking another step closer, Gabriella taking another step back as he raised his bag-filled hands and wiggled the tips of his fingers.

"Uh huh...oh...I'm...uh..." she suddenly sensed 'danger' and turned on her heel, darting through the doors and sprinting towards the open elevator, diving in and slamming her hand down on the button to close the doors, which shut just as Troy was about to jump in. Gabriella waved cheekily as the last crack closed, giggling to herself as she rode up to Troy's level.

Five minutes later she was standing outside his door - leaning against the wall coolly - when the fire door housing the stairwell swung open and a breathless Troy emerged.

"Right, Montez," he said, bending over slightly as he attempted to catch his breath. "Right. You're going down. As soon as I can breathe again, you're history."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "I might just go home now," she said casually, moving to brush past him. "Have fun figuring out your blues from your greens."

"Uh, I don't think so," Troy stated, straightening up and extending an arm, trapping her against the wall as he leaned right in to whisper in her ear. "You owe me now."

"Oh really?" Gabriella said in an amused tone.

"Uh huh. You laughed at my misfortune and then made me trek all the way up the stairs with these _heavy_ cans of paint," he explained as he turned her and pulled her against him, her back against his front as he unlocked his door, ensuring she couldn't escape. "So therefore, I sentence you to an entire afternoon of DIY renovation torture."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "How will I _ever_ _cope_?" she asked dramatically as the door swung open and they walked inside, Troy setting down the bags in the entrance before raising his hands above his head, stretching with a yawn.

"Tired, Wildcat?" Gabriella teased, setting her purse down on the coffee table. "Heeey!" she exclaimed suddenly, her face lighting up as she spotted the framed photo on his mantle, picking it up and turning to smile at Troy. "I have this exact same picture! It's on my ni...It's...in my...apartment," she finished lamely.

Her slip of the tongue did not go un-noticed, but Troy decided to let it go, smiling at her, taking the frame from her hands and looking at the picture. "Look at us. So young," he commented wistfully. "So happy."

"I didn't notice it on the mantle before," Gabriella commented.

Troy shook his head. "It wasn't. But once I cleared out all of Al...all the junk, it looked so bare. I found this in a box and it just...fit..." he concluded softly.

Gabriella's stomach fluttered at his words and she found she was unable to control herself. She stood on tip-toe and pressed a quick, soft kiss against his lips.

Gabriella's eyes widened, shocked at her own brazenness. She watched him trail two fingers over his lips. "I...I'm sorry," she stammered, blushing furiously.

Troy's lips curled into a smile. In that brief moment when Gabriella's lips had met his – it felt right. He didn't exactly understand why, but he knew that it felt right and that he was more than ok with it. "Don't be," he said resolutely, reaching out to cup her cheek in his hand, lowering his head and brushing his lips against hers before pulling away. "There, we're even."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Six hours, two paint fights, one bruised knee (courtesy of Gabriella tripping over a paint roller) and a dinner of Japanese take out later, an undercoat and one layer of paint had been applied to all four walls of Troy's living room.

He had driven her home and as he switched off the ignition and unbuckled his seatbelt, Troy shifted in his seat so he could look at Gabriella.

"Thanks so much for all your help today. Seriously, if it was left up to me I would have gotten absolutely nothing done. Nothing productive, anyway."

Gabriella shot him a warm smile. "It was my pleasure. I had a fun day. And thanks for dinner, too. I'd still feel better if you'd let me give you half the money, though."

Troy shook his head. "Uh uh – my shout, I insist. Call it payment for your redecorating expertise."

"Fine, if you insist," Gabriella relented, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Want me to walk you up?" Troy asked, but Gabriella shook her head.

"It's ok, I'm just going to go jump straight in the shower and wash out the paint that _someone_ got in my hair," she replied.

"Wasn't me, I swear!" Troy laughed. "Alright then, I'll call you tomorrow yeah?"

Gabriella nodded. "Ok..." a silence settled between them for a moment as they remained where they were, avoiding each other's gaze. "Well, goodnight Troy," Gabriella said finally.

Troy leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead, right above her temple. "Night Ella."

Gabriella slipped her bag over her shoulder and crawled out of his car, Troy watching her until she reached the door of her building. She turned back and gave one last smile, raising her hand in a small wave which he returned before she disappeared through the glass doors, leaving him to drive home with a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Mom!" Gabriella answered her cell brightly as she read the caller ID flashing on the screen. "Hi!"

"Hi Gabi," came her mother's reply. "Finally, we're home at the same time! How many days now have we been missing each other's calls?"

"I know!" Gabriella replied. "It's been ridiculous! How are things, anyway? How's your ankle?"

In the midst of Alexis leaving Troy and the whole tug of war Gabriella had put herself through over that, she had received a call from her mother who had slipped on a freshly mopped floor at work and broken her ankle. As much as she had tried to reassure Gabriella that she was fine – and it was first thought that she would be - the break was not healing well, and it had now become apparent that she would require surgery to insert pins into the shattered bones – surgery which was scheduled to fall the same week as Gabriella's graduation. Despite much pleading to the Orthopaedic Surgeon on Maria's part, if the surgery was not performed the week it had been booked, there was not an available slot for another four months – a wait which was not an option in the interest of her health.

Maria was devastated that she would not be able to fly to Boston to see her only child officially announced as 'Doctor Montez' - Gabriella was disappointed too – but both of them knew that it couldn't be helped, and there was no point in getting upset over it. Gabriella had instead pointed out that they would just have to celebrate twice as hard when they eventually did see each other again.

Maria sighed. "It's ok. I'm going a little stir crazy around the house though."

"I wish I could fly over to be with you," Gabriella said miserably. "I hate knowing that you are going to be having surgery and I can't be there to hold your hand!"

"I hate knowing my baby is graduating from Harvard and I can't be there to cheer her on," Maria replied.

"I know, Mom, but you'll be there in spirit and I know how proud you are of me – that makes all the difference, it really does. And I promise – as soon as the graduation ball and ceremony, and orientation at Boston Children's are done with, I'm flying to Albuquerque to visit for a couple of weeks before my residency starts."

"I'll hold you to that," Maria said with a smile. "Speaking of the graduation ball, have you managed to snag yourself a hot date yet?" she asked cheekily.

"Mom!" Gabriella laughed.

"What? Aren't I allowed to dig for details about my daughter's love life?"

"Or lack thereof," Gabriella shot back.

"Oh, give it time my girl – someone is out there waiting for you. Maybe the perfect man is right under your nose and you don't even know it yet."

_Oh I know it,_ Gabriella smiled to herself as her mind drifted back to the previous weekend with Troy, and the way his lips had felt against hers as they –albeit briefly – kissed.

"Maybe..." Gabriella mused, an idea starting to form in her mind.

By the time she hung up from her mother over an hour later, Gabriella knew she needed to speak to Taylor right away. Punching the number into her cell, she switched her phone to her other ear and waited for her best friend to answer.

"Hey girl," Taylor greeted.

"Taylor! I need your advice, big time..."

"I'm fine, thanks Gabriella. How nice of you to ask," came Taylor's drawled reply.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Friday night found Gabriella standing in front of her full length mirror, studying her reflection carefully and trying to figure out why she even cared. She had almost kidded herself into believing "it's just Troy – he's your friend. Of course he'll say yes – as a favour. As friends. Of course he will."

But then she had realised how desperately she wished she could be approaching this situation from a _date_ date point of view – as opposed to a _friend's_ date – and her nerves had returned full force.

The next weekend was the annual Harvard Medical School Graduation Ball, to be followed 6 days later by the actual graduation ceremony. When Gabriella had casually run the idea of asking Troy to accompany her to her graduation ball by Taylor, her friend had agreed immediately, making Gabriella _promise _she would follow through with it, and leaving her with hundreds – literally – of 'helpful tips' for how exactly to go about asking Troy.

That afternoon, Gabriella had completed her final day at MassGeneral Children's Hospital. It had been a bittersweet occasion – Gabriella would really miss her mentors there and some of the more long term patients she had been given the opportunity to work with, but at the same time she was relieved that her studies were finally done and she could focus on starting her medical career.

The previous evening, Troy had called Gabriella to wish her luck for her last day and something had possessed her to invite Troy along to the 'end-of-rotation' party she was planning on attending with some of her fellow med students at the conclusion of their final day. He had agreed before Gabriella even realised what she had asked him, so there she was – checking herself over in the mirror whilst waiting for Troy to pick her up.

"Stupid big mouth," she grumbled to herself. "God, Gabriella, you've gone to every single Med School event the past few years single and alone. You've survived. What the hell made you think it was necessary to ask Troy Bolton if he wanted to come along to this one in particular?" she sighed, pulling her hair over one shoulder before tossing it back behind her. "For god's sake stop being so stupid – it's _Troy_! We're good friends. And at least it's practice for the Grad Ball...if he _happens _to say yes..."

A knock at the door caused her to jump slightly, before taking a deep breath as she smoothed down her baby blue cocktail dress. The shimmering fabric hugged her figure and was held up by thin spaghetti straps, the scalloped hem falling just above her knee. She had left her hair in its naturally curly state and it tumbled down over her shoulders, framing her face in a mass of ebony. Slipping on a pair of strappy silver heels, Gabriella tossed her cell, keys, ID, some money and lip gloss into a matching silver clutch, and went to answer the door.

"Hey," she greeted Troy with a smile.

"Hi," he grinned back. "You ready?"

"Uh huh," Gabriella nodded, grabbing her coat and locking her apartment door.

As she fumbled with the lock, Troy allowed himself to take in her appearance properly. "You look really beautiful, Ella," he told her sincerely.

Gabriella felt her cheeks redden as the butterflies in her stomach reminded her they were still there.

"Thank you," she replied. "You don't scrub up too bad yourself," she told him, her eyes sparkling as they swept over his dark jeans, white V-neck t-shirt and black dress blazer.

The corner of Troy's lips curled up slightly. "Shall we?" he asked, offering her his arm. Gabriella giggled and looped her arm through his, neither blind to the bolt of electricity that struck the both of them as their bodies touched.

The drive across town to the party took around fifteen minutes, although it seemed more like fifteen seconds to Gabriella and Troy who chatted effortlessly the entire ride. The party was being held at a popular restaurant and bar called Wyton's, which boasted a VIP function room upstairs that had been booked for the occasion.

Troy placed a hand in the small of Gabriella's back as they entered Wyton's and ascended a spiral staircase to the room where the party was being held. A high pitched squeal pierced Troy's ears as soon as he opened the door and followed Gabriella into the VIP room, which was decorated with silver, purple and blue balloons, streamers and fairy lights.

"GABRIELLA!!!!" Troy blinked as a flurry of turquoise satin and light brown curls flew at them, pulling Gabriella from his side. "WE'RE DONE, WE'RE DONE, WE'RE FINALLY DONE!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??"

Gabriella's melodious laughter rang through the room. "I know, Nik! It's crazy! I'm so _happy_!"

The two hugged tightly, jumping up and down. Troy felt a smile on his lips as he watched Gabriella laugh with her friend Nikita. These past few weeks with her...they had been incredible. Despite the pain of his break up with Alexis and the confusion he had had about his feelings for Gabriella, he knew there was no way he could deny that he was falling for her all over again – harder and harder with every moment they spent together. He loved her dearly as a friend, and felt so incredibly blessed to have been given this chance to get to know her for a second time...but with every touch and every glance they shared, Troy was feeling the ache of desire. He knew he wanted something more.

Nikita leaned over and whispered in Gabriella's ear. "So who's the hunk?" she asked, a glint in her eye.

"Nik!" Gabriella hissed, slapping her friend playfully on the arm. "Troy?" Troy snapped to attention at the sound of his name. "This is my friend Nikita. Nik, this is my _good friend_ Troy Bolton," Gabriella said pointedly.

"Nice to meet you," Nikita said with a smile, shaking Troy's hand. "My boyfriend Andrew is hanging over by the nibbles. I'll have to introduce you later, I think he's feeling a little left out," she shook her head. "Speaking of, I'd better go keep him company. You two crazy kids have fun!"

Gabriella giggled as Nikita breezed off. "It's hard to believe she has an IQ of 130 sometimes. She's very clever academically, and she's a lovely girl...but she can be a bit of a fruit loop," she laughed, suddenly grabbing Troy's hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you to some of my other friends!"

An hour and a half into the party, Gabriella and Troy were sitting around a table with a group of Gabriella's friends. Besides Nikita and Andrew, there was Kiralee and her boyfriend Matt, Mya – who Gabriella had roomed with in her junior and senior year of college – and her boyfriend Josh, Riley and his girlfriend Julia, as well as her friends AJ, Lilly, Thomas and Will. As far as Troy could tell they all seemed like really lovely people but as much as the conversation taking place around the table was both intriguing and entertaining, Troy found himself entranced by Gabriella as she interacted with her friends.

He was mesmerised by the little things – things he once knew about her but was now re-discovering. The way her shoulders shook when she giggled. The way she scrunched her nose up a little when she was concentrating really hard. The animated expressions that danced across her face as she listened to her friends. The way she used her hands when speaking. The way she would glance sideways every now and then and give him a little smile before quickly averting her eyes, her cheeks flushing a little.

Testing – just testing - he moved his hand to where Gabriella's was resting in her lap, picking it up in his and bringing both their hands to rest on his leg.

Gabriella froze for a moment when she felt his hand on hers. She glanced sideways at Troy, but his expression was unchanged and he seemed to be watching Riley with interest as he told a story about a cardiac patient he had worked with on his rotation. Her breath seemed to catch in her throat as she glanced down at their interlinked hands resting on Troy's jeans-covered thigh and she felt slightly lightheaded. Refraining from passing out, however, she took a nervous breath before looping her fingers through Troy's, feeling him give her hand a gentle squeeze as she did so.

A little while later, Nikita, Mya, Kiralee and Julia dragged their partners off to the dance floor as the song suddenly changed. Lilly grinned.

"I _LOVE_ this song! Who else is up for a dance?"

The others in the group quickly agreed, leaving Troy and Gabriella alone at the table, still holding onto the other's hand. Troy leaned over until he was so close that his cheek brushed against hers and his lips ghosted across her ear as he whispered to her.

"Come dance with me?"

Gabriella's legs turned to jelly as he stood, maintaining his hold on her hand as he pulled her with him. Completely incapable of speech, she opted for nodding dumbly as he led her onto the dance floor. Amidst the squash of bodies moving to the rhythm of the beat, Troy snaked his hand around Gabriella's waist, linking them together in the small of her back. As Gabriella devoted one hundred percent of her concentration to reminding herself to breathe – _in, out, in, out, iiiin, oooouuut _– her hands wound themselves around Troy's neck, settling where hair met skin.

Stomach to stomach, chest to chest, Troy and Gabriella could feel each other's hearts beating as the music pulsed through the room. Their eyes locked as they began to move, slightly hesitantly at first – starting out with a modest bop to the beat.

Nikita and Andrew twirled past them after a minute, and Nikita scoffed. "Come on Gabi, I know you can do better than that! Show us that wild side of yours!"

Gabriella glowed scarlet and Troy did is best to swallow his smirk as he lowered his head to her ear. "Wild side, huh Ella?" he whispered huskily. "This I have to see. Don't tell me you've shown your Harvard friends a repeat of that time you got tipsy at Chad's eighteenth and you and I were dancing to Chris Brown on top of the..."

"Troy!" Gabriella hissed, finding herself suddenly frozen as Troy grinned, purposely allowing his lips to brush the side of her neck – right below her ear – before he pulled back, testing...just testing. "Right, Bolton," she suddenly said decisively. He had been teasing her with his flirtatious moves all night. She wasn't sure what he was doing or where he was going with it, but she could play that game too. "You're on."

Troy's breath hitched in his chest as she pressed herself against him, rolling her hips – a little shyly at first, but gaining more confidence as Troy responded to her – holding her tighter, and moving against her. The song changed, and Troy turned Gabriella in his arms, pulling her back into him. She swayed her hips to the beat of the music, her backside grinding against Troy's pelvis.

As Gabriella felt Troy's arms encircle her waist - his hands clasped over her stomach - she leaned backwards into him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he brought his head forward to brush a soft kiss against her cheek as they continued to move together.

"Woohoooo, go you two!" Nikita teased as she danced back past. "Steamin' up the dance floor, Gabs!"

Gabriella suddenly realised just how provocatively she and Troy were dancing, and blushed as she pulled away slightly, turning back to face him.

"I, uh...I think I need some water, want to sit?" she yelled over the music.

Troy just nodded and guided her off the dance floor and back to the table, picking up to glasses of water from the bar on their way past. No sooner had they sat down, Lilly, Mya, Josh, Kiralee, Matt and Thomas appeared, gathering up their bags and coats.

"We're going to call it a night," Mya said. "I'll give you a call over the weekend about the Ball, Gabi," she said, hugging her friend.

"Ok, I'll speak to you then. We should probably head off too, I guess," Gabriella commented, turning to Troy who nodded.

Goodbyes were exchanged between the remainder of the young adults before they headed down the stairs and out the main doors of Wyton's, going their separate ways with one final farewell wave. Gabriella shivered a little as the night air hit her, pulling her coat tighter across her chest.

"Are you cold?" Troy asked, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"A little," Gabriella admitted, now unsure whether her shivers were from the weather, or from Troy's touch.

"Here," Troy pulled off his blazer, leaving him in just his t-shirt and jeans as he wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Troy, I don't want you to get sick..." Gabriella told him, biting her bottom lip.

Troy smiled at her concern. "I'd rather catch a cold than have you sick," he replied. Gabriella fell silent, the two walking in step, side by side. "Hey..." Troy began hesitantly. "Are you...You're not in a hurry to get home are you?" he asked.

"No, I...I guess not. Why?" Gabriella asked inquisitively.

"I just...There's something I want to show you," he replied.

"Oh...ok. Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you as well."

"Yeah? Well, that's settled then," he smiled at her as she looked up at him curiously, before reaching down and taking her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as he lead her in the direction of his car. "Come on."

* * *

**So, another chapter draws to a close. Please let me know what you thought!**

**UP NEXT: Troy shows Gabi what he wanted to show her, and Gabi asks Troy what she wanted to ask him!**

**Until then, hope you all continue to enjoy the festive season! Remember – calories don't count this time of year ;)**

**Kylie xox**


	13. Something Changes My World

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**

Happy New Years Eve everyone! Hope you're all getting ready to celebrate and ring in 2009 with style. As one last hoorah to the year that was, here is chapter 13 of Kismet.

**As always, a mega amount of thanks to the amazing Dani aka the other half of my brain, for her help and guidance. You're worth your weight in gold or something similarly valuable. Shout-outs also my twin Em and my lil' sister Michaela for their odds and ends of input and just generally being awesome. **

**This chapter is dedicated to the lovely Alexia and all the other girls at fanforum. Hope you enjoy, ladies ;)**

**All the best for the New Year, and thanks for the incredible reviews!**

**Kylie xox**

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**Chapter 13: Something Changes My World**

"Coffee?" Troy asked as they entered his apartment, Troy flipping on the lights and Gabriella setting her clutch down on the table.

"Love one," Gabriella replied, following Troy through to the kitchen. "Thanks for coming tonight, by the way. I really appreciated it."

"Hey, it was nothing. Thanks for inviting me – I had fun. Your friends are really great."

Gabriella shrugged. "Some say great, some say crazy," she joked. "But yeah...they're pretty awesome. We've all stuck by each other through some pretty gruelling years of school. They're all good kids."

"Do you think you'll all keep in touch after you graduate?" Troy asked, handing her a steaming mug of coffee before heading through to the living room, Gabriella close behind.

"I hope so. But then again, we all made that promise after high school and it didn't last," she mused. She paused for a moment, setting her mug down beside his on the table before turning to look at Troy. "Speaking of my friends, though, we do have one final get together before we go off and start our careers."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Troy asked curiously.

Gabriella took a deep breath, her nerves hitting her like a clenched fist in her stomach. She felt like she was seventeen again, and anticipating Troy inviting her to their Senior Prom...only this time it was _her_ who was about to do the asking and the nerves were about a hundred times stronger."It's, uh...it's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually. See, I have my Graduation Ball next week and, uh...I kinda...well, I was kinda wonderingifyouwouldcomewithme?"

Troy felt the corners of his lips curl into a smile as her question came out in a nervous rush, but he decided to play with her a little. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," he said, watching her chew on her lip nervously.

Gabriella let out the breath she had been holding, averting her eyes as she spoke and picking at a non-existent loose thread on her dress. "It's my Graduation Ball next week, and I don't have a da...I don't have a partner so I was wondering if you would come with me?

"I..."

"I mean you don't have to if you don't want to, and I don't want you to feel obliged..."

"Ella..."

"... because it was only a thought and you can totally just tell me you have plans to, like, wash your hair that night and there's no way you'd even consider it, but..."

"Ella!"

"Yes?" Gabriella snapped out of her ramble and looked up at him.

Troy's features melted into a soft smile. "I'd love to come to your Graduation Ball with you."

Gabriella's face lit up. "Really?"

Troy laughed. "Why do you sound so surprised? Did you really think I'd say no to spending time with you?" he realised what he'd said and quickly added, "I mean, we're close friends...I love hanging out with you and...I would be honoured to accompany you to something as big as your Graduation Ball."

Gabriella's smile widened, taking Troy by surprise as she flung her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed, before realising how much of an over-excited teenager she sounded like. She pulled back with a sheepish grin, noticing, however, that Troy left his arms wrapped loosely around her, his hands resting in the small of her back. "I mean...I would be honoured to have you accompany me."

Troy smiled. "Well, that's settled then. So, when exactly is this ball, Cinderella?"

Gabriella giggled. "Next Saturday, it starts with a sit down meal at half past seven."

"And then we dance the night away, huh?" Troy joked, causing Gabriella to giggle again.

"Something like that," she replied, her stomach performing somersaults of excitement at the thought of Troy being with her at her graduation ball.

"So, when is your actual graduation?" Troy asked, his arms suddenly absent from her body as he reached for his coffee mug and took a sip.

"The Friday after the ball," Gabriella replied, reaching for her own mug.

"Wow, I bet you're looking forward to that. Is your mom flying out for the ceremony?" he asked, frowning at the shadow that briefly passed over Gabriella's face, feeling even more confused when she shook her head sadly.

"No, she isn't. She had an accident a couple of weeks back and broke her ankle. Which wasn't a problem at first, but there are a few problems with the break and it isn't healing the way it should. She needs an operation to have some plates put in, but the surgery is only three days before graduation, and her doctor has already told her she won't be in any condition to travel. She tried moving heaven and earth to have the surgery rescheduled, but there was nothing that could be done."

"Oh Ella, when did all this happen? I had no idea! I'm sorry," Troy told her in a genuine tone.

Gabriella rewarded him with a small smile. "It's ok. I know it's not my mom's fault and there's nothing that can be done about it, but still...it would have been nice to have her here. I haven't seen her in so long."

"I bet you miss her – you two were always so close."

Gabriella just nodded, suddenly feeling rather emotional, and not trusting herself to speak.

"So who is taking your mom's place at the ceremony?"

Gabriella looked at her feet. "I don't know. No one, I guess."

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Troy said pointedly.

Gabriella looked up, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I'll go," Troy said simply.

"Oh...No, Troy – I couldn't possib..."

"Uh, shh," Troy silenced her, pressing two fingers against her lips. "There's no way you are graduating without your own personal cheer squad there, and really – who better for the job?" he said jokingly. "And besides – I _want_ to come."

Gabriella felt an unbelievable rush of gratitude towards the man in front of her. "I just...I don't even know what to say, Troy. I...You have no idea how much that would mean to me."

"Eh, you don't have to say anything," Troy brushed it off. "Just give me another hug and we're square, ok?"

Gabriella grinned. "I owe you so many favours now, Troy."

"No you don't, you just owe me a hug – so get over here," Troy replied, setting his mug back down and opening his arms to her. Gabriella giggled and scooted closer to him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her as she reciprocated the gesture.

"Thank you so, so much, Troy," she said into his chest as he hugged her tight, one arm wrapped around her back, one hand cupping the back of her head, holding her against him.

"Don't mention it, Ella. Seriously...it's the least I can do."

They fell quiet until Gabriella pulled back from the hug after a moment. "Hey, I seem to remember you saying something before about having something you wanted to show me?" she said, raising an eyebrow. You're keeping me in suspense here!"

Troy laughed. "Oh yeah, sorry about that. I'll just go and get it," he said, standing and leaving the room.

Gabriella craned her neck to see if she could see where he had gone when she heard a couple of crashes and bangs before he returned to the living room, blowing his hair out of his eyes as he juggled a large cardboard box.

"What on _earth,_ Wildcat?" Gabriella was intrigued.

Troy grinned at her. "Nostalgia," he replied simply.

"Nostalgia?" Gabriella repeated. "What, are we taking a trip down memory lane, are we? Are you hiding a time machine in there?"

"Actually, you're not far off," Troy admitted with a smirk.

"Oh! I was joking!" Gabriella laughed as he set the box down beside her on the lounge and took a seat himself.

"In this box," Troy explained, "is everything that meant something to me during our last couple of years of high school."

"Oh!" Gabriella gasped, realisation striking her. "This is the box you were telling me about when Al...a few weeks ago..."

Troy nodded. "In here I have every award, medal, yearbook, photo...well, almost every photo – I'm fairly positive my mom snuck some from my room before I moved out and stashed them somewhere."

Gabriella giggled. "Probably. She was devastated when you decided to move away for college. I still remember the day you told your parents where you had decided to accept. Lucy cried on my shoulder for a good hour. Aaah, Lucy. She's great, your mom. I wonder what she'd say if she knew we had bumped into each other again."

"Probably secretly turn cartwheels or something. She always loved you," Troy shook his head with a smile.

"Well, can you blame her?" Gabriella shot back cheekily and Troy laughed, opening the box and picking up a yearbook off the top of the pile.

"Junior Year anyone?" he said with a hint of a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"My god!" Gabriella exclaimed, snatching the book from his hands and staring at the cover. "I haven't seen these in _years_ – Mom kept my yearbooks back in Albuquerque!" she told him as she opened the book and flipped through the pages until she came across a picture of Troy, Chad, Zeke and Jason standing proudly with the basketball championship trophy, cheesy grins stretching from ear to ear. She giggled and Troy leaned over to see what she was laughing at. "Look how young you all are!" she cooed. "Aww, I can't believe your baby faces!"

"Hey, you can't talk," Troy told her, taking the book from her and flipping forward a few pages. "Look at you, Little Miss Sweet and Innocent!"

"Oh _god_!" Gabriella squeaked as he passed the book back to her, open to a page with a write up about the Scholastic Decathlon, complete with a picture of Taylor and Gabriella smiling giddily for the camera, holding up their medals. "I look about ten years old!"

"Nah," Troy brushed off her comment. "You were beautiful. Enough to set my sixteen year old hormones racing anyway."

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she laughed. "Troy Bolton – always the charmer."

"What can I say, the ladies love it," he joked.

Gabriella opened her mouth to reply, but her attention was caught by the corner of an album poking out from beneath their Senior Yearbook. She set the Junior Yearbook aside, reaching into the box to pull out the album. "Oh my gosh," she murmured as her eyes swept over her own curly handwriting on the front cover. "I can't believe you kept this."

Troy lifted the box off the couch and placed it on the floor, allowing him to slide over closer to Gabriella, wrapping one arm around her shoulders.

"Of course I kept it," he replied softly. "I told you – no matter where I was, or who I was with...I've thought about you every single day for the past six years."

Gabriella turned her head, finding that he was looking right at her. She closed her eyes and leaned forward slightly, allowing her forehead to rest against his. Troy also closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in her sweet scent. They sat like that for a moment – foreheads touching, the two of them just allowing the spark they both felt to travel between them.

It was Gabriella who pulled away first, turning back to the album and opening it to the first page. "Gosh, I remember that day so clearly," she said softly, tracing her finger over a picture of her and Troy tangled around each other, floating on a large purple inflatable pool lounger.

Troy laughed. "Me too. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that about 30 seconds after that picture was taken, Chad upended the lounger and both of us fell in."

Gabriella burst out laughing. "Yes! He did! I thought you were going to end up drowning him!"

"If it wasn't for the fact that his hair acts as a floatation device, I probably would have," Troy joked as Gabriella tried to catch her breath, turning the page of the album.

They spent the next half an hour going through the album - laughing, joking, reminiscing. Gabriella turned over another page to find one solitary photograph. It had been taken when neither Troy nor Gabriella were aware of the presence of a camera, and had captured a precious moment between the two of them – completely lost in their own world.

They were sitting on a swinging lounge chair in the Bolton's backyard, Gabriella's legs curled up beneath her, Troy's feet skimming the grass below the chair. The photo was taken from behind them, the shadows of early evening giving the scene a romantic haze. Gabriella's head was resting on Troy's shoulder, Troy pressing a kiss into her hair, his eyes closed as though memorising the feel and the scent of her.

"We were great together, weren't we?" Gabriella commented softly, unable to tear her eyes away from the photograph.

Troy nodded, unable to tear his eyes off of _her_. "Yeah," he murmured.

At his reply, Gabriella turned her head to smile at him, unprepared for the emotion she found filling his eyes. She suddenly felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the room as he lifted one hand to softly and respectfully caress her cheek. Troy gazed into her eyes as though trying to read how she was feeling, to communicate that nothing was going to happen that she didn't feel comfortable with. However the pull between them was magnetic and it seemed that what was to happen next was inevitable.

Gabriella's eyes fluttered closed as he leaned towards her and she met him halfway, their lips connecting in the sweetest of kisses. Troy's thumb continued to stroke her cheek as his lips moved against hers before they simultaneously broke the kiss. Gabriella's eyes remained closed for a moment as Troy nudged her nose gently with his, and when she opened them she found him looking at her with hazy eyes.

No words needed to be exchanged as Troy snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her into his side. Gabriella settling herself curled against him as they continued to turn the pages of the photo album, reliving memories.

When they got to the end of the album, Troy closed it and placed it on the arm of the couch. Gabriella made no effort to move, which made him smile as he rested his cheek on top of her head.

"Want me to drive you home?" he asked softly...almost half heartedly.

"Mmm...Not yet," came her reply.

Troy sighed with relief as he held her just a little tighter. "Ok."

They sat curled around each other in a comfortable silence, neither really knowing whether minutes or hours had passed as they savoured each other's warmth – Gabriella being lulled into a state of complete relaxation by the sound of Troy's heartbeat and Troy mesmerised by the soft rise and fall of her body as her breathing became deeper and deeper. When he ran his hand gently through her hair and she didn't flinch, he knew she had fallen asleep.

He _could_ have woken her. He _could_ have carried her down to his car and driven her home. Instead, he found himself resting his head against hers and closing his eyes.

That is how the pair came to wake in each other's arms as the sun rose the following morning.

Gabriella was the first to stir, frowning sleepily as she tried to stretch out her aching back, wondering vaguely why she wasn't in her bed. Her second thought was related to the fact that there were two strong arms wrapped around her. Her third thought was that she should be panicking, but then she realised that she was in Troy's living room, and that it was _his_ arms encircling her. Her fourth thought was that she should enjoy it while it lasted and just go back to sleep, but before she could close her eyes she felt Troy begin to rouse behind her, stretching as he woke.

"Mmm..mm...morning," he yawned. "What time is it?"

"Morning," Gabriella gazed up at him with a soft smile. "I'm not sure...around eight maybe? I don't even remember falling asleep."

"You were so peaceful, I didn't have the heart to wake you," Troy told her. "Then I must have drifted off as well. Sorry, I should have taken you home," he apologised.

Gabriella shook her head. "It's fine, don't worry about it," she told him.

"Well, seeing as you're here, how about breakfast? I have toast or...toast," he frowned, remembering it was Saturday and his cupboards were virtually empty.

Gabriella giggled. "I'd love some toast. Although I probably should get going after that, Mya said she'd call me – I think she wants to organise a shopping trip."

Troy raised his hands in surrender as he rose from the couch and headed towards the kitchen. "Enough said, I know better than to try and come between girls and the mall."

Gabriella laughed. "Shopping with Mya is great – she is in and out, completely on a mission. Now Taylor and I hitting the mall...that's another story," she stretched again as she stood up. "Hey, I'm just going to use the bathroom, I'll be back in a minute."

Troy watched her back as she retreated, the sound of her best friend's name triggering an idea in his mind. As he heard the bathroom door click shut, he ducked into the entrance of his apartment, pulling Gabriella's cell from her clutch and scrolling through her address book until he found the number he was looking for. Scribbling it down, he quickly replaced the cell and snapped the clutch shut, reaching the toaster just as he heard the flush of a toilet and footsteps returning to the kitchen.

She sat herself at the breakfast bar, her chin propped up on her hand as she watched him. He turned around and grinned at her when he felt her gaze, studying her intently, the smile never leaving his face.

"What?" Gabriella asked embarrassedly, tearing her eyes from his.

"Nothing," Troy replied, his eyes continuing to absorb her appearance – despite the fact she was in last night's clothes with the remains of last night's make up slightly smudged under her eyes, her curly hair now featuring an extra layer of frizz, just looking at her made Troy's legs feel like jelly. He wasn't sure how much longer he could take this skirting around each other, when every glance made him want to kiss her senseless.

"Troy?" Gabriella's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Why can I smell burning?"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

After a second attempt at breakfast, Troy had dropped Gabriella home and she had made plans to meet Mya and Nikita at the mall just after lunch. Coming down from the whirlwind of her excitement at Troy accepting her invitation to the ball, and the kiss they had shared the night before, Gabriella was suddenly struck by the realisation that she did not have a dress for the ball.

Now – with Troy agreeing to be her date – she didn't just have to find _a_ dress, she had to find _the_ dress.

True to her reputation, Mya had found the dress she had in mind within the first fifteen minutes of their shopping expedition. Nikita already had her dress, but after a half an hour had found the perfect pair of strappy stiletto heels and a gorgeous clutch purse to match. Gabriella, however, was not having the same luck. She had tried on dress after dress – every single one of which Mya and Nikita had gushed over – but none had struck her as _the _dress.

They had been shopping for almost three hours and were now in the final dress shop the mall offered. Gabriella had tried on an orange halter dress, a midnight blue strapless gown, a silver spaghetti strap dress and now emerged from the change room wearing a black one shoulder number.

She twirled in front of the mirror as Nikita and Mya stood behind her.

"I love it," Nikita announced. "My favourite out of all seven hundred and eighty five billion."

"I agree," Mya nodded. "It looks fantastic."

Gabriella studied herself from both sides, and then turned around to look over her shoulder at the back of the dress before heading back into the change room and taking it off.

"It's nice," she said, emerging from behind the swinging door dressed back in her jeans and three quarter sleeve shirt. "But it's just not..."

"_THE DRESS,_" Nikita and Mya finished in unison.

Gabriella blushed. "I'm sorry guys. We can just go home if you want," she said, hanging the dresses on the rack outside the change room and heading for the exit.

"What is with the sudden urge to look like a rival to Tyra Banks?" Nikita asked. "You look gorgeous in anything, since when have you been so fussy?"

"It's nothing, I just..." Gabriella trailed off, not quite knowing how to explain the complicated dance of denial she had going on with Troy. "It's no big deal, I'll come – wait..." she stopped dead in her tracks, causing her friends to bump into the back of her. They followed her line of sight, letting out a gasp.

"_Yes!_" Nikita exclaimed, riffling through the rack until she found Gabriella's size and pulled it out. "You _have_ to try it."

The three girls hurried back into the change rooms, Gabriella quickly stripping off her clothes and wriggling into the dress, tugging up the zipper and opening the door to show her friends.

"What do you think?" she asked anxiously, biting her lip.

Nikita and Mya just started at her, their jaws dropped slightly and their eyes wide.

"Gabriella... Fucking _hell_..." Nikita breathed.

Mya slapped her friends arm, rolling her eyes. "Charming," she said. "Seriously though, Gabi, that is just...wow...it's totally..."

All three girls stood in front of the mirror, staring at Gabriella's reflection. All three faces split into satisfied grins as they announced simultaneously:

"_THE DRESS!!!_"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Back at Troy's apartment, the Wildcat alumnus was perched on a stool at his breakfast bar, phone in hand, finger poised above the call button.

He had a serious internal battle going on regarding whether or not he should make the call he wanted to make. He had thought it was a great idea at first, but now he wasn't so sure – what if Gabriella thought he was nuts?

Troy sighed. As much as a part of him was scared she would be mad at him for interfering, a much larger part of him instinctually said that she would love the surprise if it came together the way he hoped.

Spurred on by this sudden rush of confidence, Troy hit the call button and raised the phone to his ear. It rang three times before a familiar - albeit confused – voice answered.

"Hello, Taylor McKessie speaking."

"Hello there Taylor McKessie, it's Troy Bolton here..."

* * *

**Oooooh!**

**Sooo, what did you think? Let me know by pressing that lil' green review button down there!**

**UP NEXT: Cinderella and Prince Charming go to the Ball!**

**Thanks once again for all your amazing reviews and PM's, and have a safe and happy New Year! **

**See you on the flipside,**

**Kylie xox**


	14. The Most Beautiful Girl

**Well helloooo and Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all had a good one!**

**Thanks so much for all your reviews on the last chapter. I hope you like this one. The Ball!!! Hooray!!!**

**Now, I always give a big thanks to Dani for her patience and guidance and help. But this chapter requires me to give her an EXTRA big thanks – seriously Dan, you've been SOOOO so patient with me the past couple days while I've nitpicked my way through every line of this chapter, and stressed to the max over it. Thank you so much for always having time for me – not just as a beta, but as a friend too. Ok, now I've gone all sappy hahaha. Just know that every visual of Troy's abs is dedicated to you from here on in ;) And that I owe you alot of chocolate, and possibley several therapy sessions...tulibu dibu douchoooo :p**

**Shout out to Jessa for her encouragement to write this one, and everyone who helped me vote on my selection for the girls' dresses – I only talk about Gabi's in the chapter, but seeing as Mya bought hers last chapter and I talked about Nikita already having hers, I've posted them on my profile as well :)**

**Anyway, I think that's enough of a hold up! I really hope you enjoy this chapter or else I'm going into hiding!**

**Kylie xox**

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Most Beautiful Girl**

Gabriella was standing in front of her bedroom mirror, wrapped in her fluffy white bathrobe and fiddling with her hair. She bunched it up and held it all on top of her head, before letting it tumble down over her shoulders once more.

"Hmm - up or down, Montez?" she asked aloud, pulling her hair up once more and studying her reflection carefully before disappearing into the bathroom in search of bobby pins and hair spray.

Just as she dragged a chair over to her mirror and sat down, her phone rang and she jumped up to grab it off her bed, smiling to herself when she saw the caller ID.

"Hey, how'd they go?" she asked anxiously, having realised why he would be calling when she glanced at the clock and noticed that it was already after 3pm – the day was flying by.

"WE WON!" came the excited reply, confirming that the Boston Fireballs under twelves were state basketball champions.

"YES! That's fantastic news, Troy!" Gabriella exclaimed happily. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks El, the kids are so unbelievably pumped! Jefferson and I are going to take them out for ice cream to celebrate."

"Good plan, get them even more wired," Gabriella laughed.

"Exactly, then palm them back off to their parents – that's the idea!" Troy joked before changing the topic. "How are you doing? Excited?" he asked.

"A little..." she admitted coyly, able to hear Troy grin at her answer.

"Well I'll let you go and get ready then, I know you girls have some complicated five hour glamour routine that I'm pretty sure applies to events like Graduation Ball's," he teased.

"Troy!" Gabriella exclaimed. "I'm very low maintenance, thank you very much. I only have a _four _hour glamour routine."

"Ooooh, she's a comedian," Troy laughed. "Alright, I'd better get these kids over to Dairy Queen before they maul me. Have a good afternoon and I'll see you at seven, ok?"

"Bye Troy," Gabriella said softly, waiting for his response before sliding her phone closed and flopping back on her bed with a contented sigh. 'A little' excited was an understatement. The combination of nerves and excitement that had been building up over the past week – resulting in the almost nauseating sensation she was currently experiencing – was unlike anything she had ever felt.

She knew it was partly genuine excitement for the ball itself – what girl didn't enjoy getting all glammed up like a princess? For Gabriella – who generally didn't have the time to worry about a detailed beauty regime, or wearing piles of make-up – it was nice to have the opportunity to spend a day being really girly. But the other part of the excitement was due to the fact that Troy was her date for the night. She was still trying to figure out what was going on between her and Troy, and she had a feeling that uncertainty was playing a large factor in the nerves she was suffering.

She knew that she was falling hard for Troy, but she was struggling to read him. The way they acted around each other was flirtatious bordering on couple-ey and as much as Gabriella was enjoying the closeness between them, it was leaving her somewhat confused. When they were together everything was great, but there were times when they acted like an old couple and other times when things were definitely just platonic. She wasn't sure whether it was just the fact that they knew each other so well already that Troy felt comfortable with being close to her – hugging and kissing her more than one would a regular friend – or whether he wanted something more.

All that she was _really_ sure of was that the more time she spent with him, the harder it was to continue practising self restraint and wait for him to make the first move (if he was planning on making one) when all she wanted to do most of the time was kiss him, and holding his hand or resting her head on his shoulder felt like the most natural things in the world. After Troy's break up with Alexis, they had acknowledged that there was something between them, but had mutually agreed that being friends was the best course of action to take – and it had started that way. But since then Gabriella's feelings for Troy had only deepened, and after Troy's behaviour the previous weekend, she had been left wondering if his had too.

Gabriella sighed as she slid a couple more bobby pins into her hair for extra security, and stood back to admire her handiwork. Her long dark curls were swept to the side of her head and pinned up, several loose strands framing her face. She moved over to her night stand, rummaging through the draw for a moment before straightening up triumphantly - a tiny, elegant diamante clip held in her hand. She slid it in amongst her pinned up curls, before giving the entire style a generous coating of hair spray.

When she had finished coughing on a lungful of the bitter tasting spray, she inspected her hair in the mirror once more.

"Perfect," she smiled to herself.

After indulging in a quick afternoon snack consisting of an apple, some peanut butter crackers and a bottle of water, Gabriella painted her fingernails and her toenails, watching rerun of an episode of _Will & Grace_ whilst waiting for them to dry. Once she was satisfied her nails weren't going to smudge, she settled herself back in front of her bedroom mirror, her make-up case open in front of her and her iPod plugged into her stereo system, a playlist of all her favourite cheesy, girly pop songs selected to shuffle while she finished getting ready.

_Candy _by Mandy Moore blared through the speakers as Gabriella rubbed moisturiser into her skin, and then began by applying an even layer of foundation over her face, blending it into her neck with a sponge. She began humming along as she set down the foundation and sponge and picked up a pot of blush, dipping her make-up brush in and applying the deep pink tint over her defined cheekbones. As she opened her eye shadow palette - screwing up her nose slightly in concentration as she tried to decide on the right shades – the song changed, the opening bars of _Girls Just Wanna Have Fun _blared from the speakers.

Gabriella started to sing along as she selected a medium brown with a hint of shimmer for the main part of her eyelid, a pale cream for the very top, and a smoky charcoal for the outer edges. Blending the shades and returning the eye shadow to her make-up case, she swayed her hips and bopped her head as she brushed some pressed powder over her face and rummaged for her eyeliner and mascara.

Gabriella giggled to herself as she continued to sing, pausing for a moment to carefully apply eyeliner, followed by two generous coats of mascara to her lashes. Dancing her way back over to her full length mirror she dusted her collar bone and shoulders with a subtle shimmering bronzer, spinning around as the final chorus ended and finishing her impromptu dance routine with a flourish, one hand propped behind her head, the other in the air.

She snorted with laughter as she saw herself in the mirror. "Gosh, you're a dork," she said with a giggle, zipping her make-up case and returning it to the bathroom.

Glancing at the clock, Gabriella realised it was almost 6.30pm – she only had a half an hour before she had to leave. She quickly brushed her teeth and gargled with mouthwash before returning to her bedroom and slipping out of her bathrobe and removing her dress from the plastic zip-up hanging bag in her closet.

She grinned to herself as she ran her hands carefully over the gorgeous fabric before stepping into it and pulling up the zip. She moved over to her mirror, studying her reflection carefully, pleased with what she saw. Her dress fit her perfectly – almost as though it had been custom made for her figure. She turned happily in a circle, smiling as her gown moved with her. It really was _the_ dress.

When she heard a knock at her door at 6.50pm - just as she was smoothing a final layer of gloss over her lips - Gabriella frowned slightly in confusion. Mya and Nikita, along with their partners and Troy were all supposed to be meeting her outside her building at 7pm.

She screwed her lip gloss shut and dropped it into her clutch before hitching her dress up so it wasn't trailing on the ground and walking to the door, pulling it open. Her face split into a smile as she was greeted by the back of a familiar head.

"Troy!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing up here?"

He spun around at the sound of her voice, any form of a sensible greeting from him immediately lost as his jaw hit the ground.

"I know we...." Troy trailed off, his eyes widening as he took in her appearance. "...wow," he breathed, causing Gabriella to blush. "You look...You're...Holy wow..."

Gabriella looked up at him shyly as his eyes swept over every inch of her - taking in the way the ruched bodice of her strapless cherry-red gown clung to her slim figure; with the full, princess-style skirt flaring from her hips to the floor. A delicate string of tiny, shimmering diamantes wrapped around the bodice from under the bust and finished at the waist, adding the perfect final touch to the gorgeous dress. Her hair and make-up were flawless, a stunning set of elegant crystal droplet earrings and a pair of simple, strappy silver stiletto heels completing the ensemble.

"Ella, you look beautiful," he said finally, leaning forward and kissing her softly on the cheek before pulling back and allowing his eyes to sweep over her once more. "Just...beautiful."

Gabriella giggled, embarrassed. "Thanks," she murmured. "You're looking pretty handsome, I have to say," she complimented, allowing herself a moment to admire his black suit, white shirt, and black silk tie.

Troy shuffled his feet and Gabriella couldn't help but think that the whole scenario reminded her of high school – they were like a couple of bashful teens.

"Did you want to come in? I thought we were all meeting downstairs," Gabriella commented, before adding hurriedly "not that I mind of course."

"Uh, yeah...I kind of have something for you," he explained as he entered the apartment, digging around the pocket inside his suit jacket. "I wasn't sure whether the whole corsage thing was a bit...high school...But I got you one anyway," he told her, feeling somewhat like a more pubescent version of himself as he stumbled over his words. "So...here you go..." he pulled the delicate cluster of rosebuds and baby's breath from within his jacket

"Oh, Troy..." Gabriella murmured with a smile, extending her hand towards him. Troy slipped the elastic over her hand and onto her wrist. "Thank you – it's gorgeous!" she exclaimed, holding her wrist out in front of her to look at the corsage before kissing him quickly on the cheek. "Let me just grab my purse and then we'll head downstairs."

"Okay," Troy nodded, rocking back on his heels as she hurried into her bedroom, returning a moment later with her clutch.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Troy grinned, before announcing in his cheesiest English accent, "To the ball, Cinderella!"

Gabriella laughed, linking her arm through his as he held it out to her. "To the ball!"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

A sleek black limousine pulled up out the front of the large hotel where the Harvard Medical School Graduation Ball was being held and six young adults emerged.

"Wow, fancy," Gabriella commented, looking up at the elegant hotel and smiling on the inside as she felt Troy take hold of her hand.

"Very," Troy agreed. "Come on, let's go inside," he said, realising the others were already heading through the large glass revolving door.

The sit-down section of the night seemed to pass quickly. The three course meal was amazing, and the conversation that took place across the table occupied by Gabriella, Troy and her friends was highly entertaining. After the final dessert plates were cleared away, the main lights in the ball room were dimmed; fairy lights strung high above the dance floor twinkling into life as a DJ made his way onto the stage. He introduced himself and invited them all to the dance floor, announcing that it was time to 'get the party started' as the opening strains of Pink's song began to blare through the speakers.

Gabriella giggled at the cheesiness, Troy unable to miss the way her eyes sparkled as she watched her fellow students filter enthusiastically out onto the dance floor. He smiled to himself as she subconsciously bopped her head in time to the beat of the catchy tune.

"Come on," he said to her, pushing his chair out and standing up, holding out his hand. "Let's dance."

Gabriella looked up at him. "Troy, you don't have to..."

"Hey," he cut her off, starting to bop on the spot. "I need someone out there with me, to make sure my moves don't get too daggy," he told her, pointing his fingers out disco-style and performing an impromptu boogie.

"Oh god," Gabriella laughed, burying her face in her hands.

"I might even pull out these ones," he teased, his disco boogie morphing into The Robot.

"Troy!"

"Or these ones," he continued, pumping his arms up and down as his feet performed a series of Running Men.

"Ok, that's enough – Dag-Police reporting for duty!" Gabriella said quickly, standing up.

Troy grinned and immediately desisted from the embarrassing dance-moves. He took Gabriella's hand, leading her out onto the dance floor. They quickly located her friends and the group of them smiled and laughed as they danced around together – uninhibited, carefree, and unreserved.

As Troy watched Gabriella twirling giddily with Nikita, the two of them completely blithe, their heads thrown back with laughter...he knew. The way his heart skipped as he watched her face light up with happiness confirmed what he had known deep down all along. He had to tell her how he felt.

'_I'm bringin' sexy back, YEAH! Them other boys don't know how to act, YEAH!'_

Gabriella immediately spun around to Troy as she recognised the song.

"OH MY GOD!" she yelled, her eyes shining. "DO YOU REMEMBER...?"

"Junior Prom?" Troy grinned, placing his hands on her waist and pulling her to him. She giggled and rolled her hips in response, her arms looping lazily around his neck. "How could I forget? You looked hot that night, too," he teased.

"Troy!" Gabriella laughed as he gave her a lopsided grin, spinning her in his arms and pulling her back against his front. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and she leaned her head back into his chest – feeling completely content as the two of them moved together.

After grinding their way through Bob Sinclair's remix of _Rock This Party_, Rihanna's _Don't Stop the Music _and Fat Man Scoop's hip hop cover of _I Wanna Dance with Somebody_, Troy and Gabriella were dancing so close that it was almost hard to tell where his body finished and hers began. The DJ's song selection changed and he began to play a slower, more romantic playlist.

Several people left the dance floor – mostly those without partners – heading to the bar for drinks or to freshen up in the bathrooms. Gabriella pulled back slightly from Troy, unsure whether he would be keen on the idea of slow dancing with her, assuming they would leave the dance floor like the other 'singletons' and grab a drink together.

Troy's reaction surprised her a little. He captured her hand in his, pulling her back to him and sliding his hands gently around her waist. "Stay," he murmured. "Don't go..."

Gabriella didn't trust herself to speak. She swallowed as she found herself transfixed by his intent stare, her arms winding themselves back around his neck as they began to sway softly back and forth. She gave him a soft smile as the melody of _Far Away_ by Nickleback washed over them – the meaningful lyrics certainly not lost on neither Troy nor Gabriella.

Gabriella closed her eyes for a moment, trying to abate the giddiness that was engulfing her. She couldn't think, couldn't speak, couldn't breathe...she could only feel. And all she could feel was Troy – his arms holding her close as the song finished, his soft breath against her cheek, his chest pressed against hers. A new song started and Gabriella's legs began to shake as Troy ran one hand up and down her back, resting his forehead against hers.

_But hold your breath  
Because tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you over again  
Don't make me change my mind_

_Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear it's true  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find  
You're impossible to find_

"I'm so incredibly lucky," Troy said suddenly, pulling Gabriella even closer (if that was possible) as he gazed down at her, his eyes glazed with adoration.

"Why is that?" asked Gabriella, amazed she had formed a coherent sentence.

"Because I have the most beautiful girl on the dance floor in my arms...and because of second chances," Troy gave her a soft smile, fighting back his nerves as she looked up at him quizzically. He was as frightened as hell, but if he didn't tell her this now, then he never would. He reached down to softly brush a strand of hair away from her face before leaning forward to whisper in her ear, their cheeks pressed together. "I..." Troy paused, swallowed and took a breath before saying softly, "I've fallen for you all over again, Ella."

_Tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you over again  
Don't make me change my mind_

_Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear it's true  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find  
You're impossible to find_

Gabriella's legs almost gave out completely as her brain registered what he had just told her. He pulled back to look her in the eye, awaiting her reaction to his confession. His words were the trigger that snapped the tightrope of sexual tension they had been dancing on for the past few weeks. She couldn't even force her lips to formulate a spoken reply. Instead, she snaked her arms tighter around his neck, and kissed him.

The kiss lasted mere seconds before they pulled back, searching one another's eyes for the permission they both so desperately wanted, their chests heaving with anticipation. The lust and desire that was flaming in both blue eyes and brown was enough of an answer for the two of them as their lips crashed together passionately, their bodies moulding against one another right there in the middle of the dance floor.

Troy brought his left hand to caress her face as they continued to kiss – desperately, probingly, the built up desire of the past few weeks rising to the surface and bubbling over as Gabriella ran her tongue across Troy's bottom lip. She moaned into the kiss as he parted his lips for her, inserting his own tongue in her mouth at the same time.

The sound of her moan caused Troy's hips to grind forward involuntarily, Gabriella's heart hammering as she realised just how much he wanted this – wanted _her. _He wanted her as much as she wanted him. On a certain level, they'd wanted each other since they'd first seen each other again. But they'd resisted, and it had reached the point where they simply couldn't resist any longer, where it didn't matter if it was wrong or right, if it was too soon. She broke the kiss breathlessly, leaning into the crook of his neck, placing a soft kiss there before nipping gently.

"Oh God, Ella..." Troy's words emerged in a growl that ascended from deep within his throat.

His throaty moan, combined with the evidence of his arousal pressed against her was the confirmation Gabriella needed. She pulled back from him and bit her lip, her heart continuing to pound so loud she was sure he could hear it over the music in the ball room as he saw her own desire mirrored in his eyes.

"Do you...do you want..." she trailed off, her eyes flickering in the direction of the exit.

Troy placed a hand either side of her face and gently tilted her head, leaning down to kiss her forehead softly, followed by her lips, then her forehead again. He pulled back, wordlessly taking her hand and leading her over to their table to collect her clutch and his suit jacket before heading towards the exit and out onto the street – Gabriella failing to even give a thought to the friends she was leaving behind.

His hand was slightly sweaty in hers as they hailed a cab and slid into the back seat, barely having buckled their seat belts before their lips found each other again. The cab driver cleared his throat pointedly and Gabriella pulled back, embarrassed that they hadn't even told him an address.

"My place or yours?" Troy murmured, rubbing small but intoxicating circles on her lower back.

"Mine..." Gabriella managed to mumble, as Troy pulled her back towards him, his lips brushing softly against hers. "S'closer..."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella giggled as she grabbed Troy's hand and pulled him out of the elevator and up the hall towards her apartment. Her giggle turned to a moan of pleasure when he pinned her up against the wall beside her door, his right hand caressing her face as he covered her lips with his, their tongues finding each other and probing desperately.

"Troy...inside..." Gabriella managed to gasp as Troy pulled back for air and he nodded, turning his attention to her neck as she dug in her clutch for her keys.

Gabriella felt dizzy from the sensations coursing through her as Troy pressed hot, wet, open mouthed kisses up and down the side of her neck while she fumbled with her keys in the lock. Finally, she heard a click and the two stumbled through the door together, Gabriella barely remembering to close it before reattaching her lips to Troy's, dropping her stiletto's – which she had removed in the cab – to the floor.

Troy melted when he felt her smile against his lips, his arms tightening around her waist as he pulled her even closer. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, the moan that escaped her when she parted her lips sending a fire through his body as she allowed him to slide his tongue into her mouth.

Gabriella snaked her hands up Troy's chest, feeling him shiver at her touch as she slid his jacket off his shoulders and let it drop to the floor. They continued to kiss as her hands worked to loosen his tie in a rush, Gabriella grunting in frustration when the garment refused to cooperate. She slowed down for a moment and broke the kiss - enabling her to watch what she was doing – quickly undoing the knot, pulling the tie from his neck and discarding it on top of his jacket.

Looking back up at Troy, Gabriella found him watching her with lust-filled eyes. She bit her lip, taking a moment to brush her hand against his cheek, her heart thumping as he closed his eyes and leaned into her. With her thumb still stroking his cheek, Gabriella brought his head down to meet hers, her eyes fluttering closed as their lips fused in what started out as a sweet kiss, the intensity soon growing as hands began to wander and grope. Gabriella's fingers found the waist of his pants, hastily untucking his shirt from its confinement and working her fingers nimbly over the buttons, kissing him zealously as she did so.

Troy pulled her as close as he could against him, taking a step backwards – a step in the direction of her bedroom. Gabriella sensed the movement and did not resist, allowing him to continue to walk her towards the bedroom as they kissed somewhat desperately, tongues continuing to rediscover territory that had once been so familiar.

As they reached the doorway of her room Troy pulled back. Gabriella gazed up at him – her breathing heavy - and Troy couldn't help but smile as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss against her lips before tenderly brushing a few curls that had strayed from the security of their bobby pins back off her face.

"Gabriella? Are you...Is this...Is this ok?" Troy asked huskily, his hand still in her hair.

Gabriella didn't even need to give his question a second thought. "Oh god, yes," she replied, pulling him back to her.

As their mouths moved hungrily against each other, Troy walked Gabriella further into her room. Gabriella flung her arm out in a half hearted effort to close the door before her hands moved to Troy's chest, raking over his defined muscles and pushing his shirt from his shoulders as he kicked off his shoes.

As his shirt was removed, Troy felt the back of his knees hit the bed and he sat down with a bump, pulling Gabriella to stand between his legs. He reached up and wrapped one hand behind her head, pulling her close and plunging his tongue back into her mouth. She moaned as he sucked on her bottom lip, feeling his hands move to her back, groping around for the zip of her dress. She broke the kiss and stood up straight, running her hands through his hair and looking him meaningfully in the eye before slowly turning around so her back was to him.

Troy ran his hands from her hips up her sides, bringing them around to the zip of her dress and slowly lowering it. As Gabriella's back was exposed – inch by painful inch – Troy could feel his pants becoming tighter. When her zipper was down as far as it would go, Troy placed his hands back on her hips and leaned forward, gently kissing her back before turning her in his arms and rising to stand in front of her.

He moved Gabriella's arms away from her body, allowing her dress to fall to the floor, pooling at her ankles and leaving her standing there in her black satin strapless bra and panties. She stepped backwards out of her dress, looking at Troy almost bashfully as he saw her in her underwear for the first time in six years.

Troy sensed her tentativeness. "You're gorgeous," he told her with lust-filled eyes, brushing a kiss against her cheek.

Gabriella moved her head to connect their lips, frowning slightly in confusion when he moved away. Before she could ask what he was doing, however, he bent over and hurriedly picked her dress up off the floor, tossing it onto her desk chair before hastily returning to stand in front of her.

"Don't want your pretty dress to get ruined," he murmured, barely hearing her whispered thanks against his lips as his hands moved over the smooth skin of her stomach and around to her back, finding the clasp of her bra and fiddling for a moment before popping it open, the garment falling to the floor.

Gabriella shivered as his hands moved from her back to softly caress the swell of her breast, moaning as his fingers brushed across her left nipple. Troy nuzzled his face into her neck as his hands continued their ministrations, alternating between kissing and nipping her flesh. Gabriella's mind was in a fog – his actions were intoxicating and she knew she needed something to focus on before she lost it all together. Her hands moved to his belt buckle, making quick work of undoing it – grinding her hips forward purposely into his arousal as she did so.

Troy groaned as her core – covered only by a small amount of black satin – came into contact with his hardness, the sound turning into a sharp hiss as her hands moved to undo his button and zip and brushed against his growing bulge – not by accident either.

Gabriella pushed his pants down over his hips - exposing his grey Calvin Klein boxer briefs - before running her hands up over his defined abdominal muscles, leaving Troy to complete the removal. He pulled off his socks while he was going, before running his hands from Gabriella's hips, up her sides and over her shoulders, bringing them to rest either side of her face as he kissed her on the lips – softly at first, followed by a series of harder, lust filled kisses which only grew more passionate as their naked torso's pressed together. He turned them as they kissed, so that Gabriella's back was now to the bed. She tumbled backwards, pulling him with her.

Troy landed slightly on his side - hovering over Gabriella, but still supporting his own weight. She bought her hands down to stroke the outline of his bulge through his underwear as he trailed kisses from her lips, down her jaw and neck – where he paused to suck lightly on her pulse, eliciting a moan from deep within her throat. His mouth then travelled across her collarbone, and down her chest, where his tongue trailed a languorous circle upon the flesh of her right breast, before taking her nipple between his teeth, toying with it tantalisingly.

Gabriella's moans turned to whimpers as he teased her, his tongue grazing the valley between her breasts.

"Oh my...Troy," she managed to gasp, panting slightly as he moved back up to her lips, his straining erection pressing into her thigh. Her hands wandered as they kissed hungrily, slipping beneath the waistband of his underwear.

He grunted as he felt her hand grasp his growing length inside his boxers. "Shit, Gab...Fuck..."

Gabriella smirked, enjoying the effect she was having on him as she held him a little tighter, pumping her fist slowly – torturously - up and down. She watched satisfied as his eyes glazed over, however she soon became frustrated with the restriction presented by his underwear.

Kissing him hard on the lips, Gabriella removed her hand from Troy's growing length and gripped the elastic waist of his boxer briefs, sliding them over his hips and down his legs. When his underwear reached his ankles, Troy kicked the garment off.

Gabriella pulled back from his lips and placed a hand on his chest, pushing him gently so that he was laying on his back against her pillows. She moved herself so that she was now hovering just to the side of him, trailing a solitary finger down his chest as her eyes hungrily took in his naked form.

God she had missed him.

Troy couldn't help but shudder with pleasure as her finger snaked its way down his chest and across his stomach and pelvis before tracing the length of his penis.

"Go...God..." he stammered as she leaned down to suckle on his neck, her hand now fully encasing his erect member. Mustering as much strength as he could, he slid his hands around her waist and pulled her on top of him. He hooked one leg around hers – holding her in place as his hands moved all over her back.

Gabriella pulled away from his neck, bracing herself on his chest with both her hands. No words needed to be exchanged between the pair as they looked each other in the eye before their lips joined once more, one of Gabriella's arms sliding around the back of his neck, the other resuming its languorous stroking of his length.

As Gabriella's movements further heightened Troy's arousal, their kisses became more frantic - tongue battling desperately against tongue. The temperature in the room was rising rapidly as Troy and Gabriella headed towards the inevitable. Gabriella gasped into their kiss as she felt Troy's hand dance over her stomach and continue lower - tracing the outside of her thigh before trailing back up the inside. Her skin was on fire as his hand brushed over her underwear-covered centre, causing her to gasp again before he slipped his fingers beneath the smooth satin of her panties.

"Ooh," she moaned as his fingers slipped between her folds - probing, rediscovering – before pressing down on the sensitive bundle of nerves that lay just beyond; gently at first, then applying more pressure. "Ooh, Troy..."

Encouraged by the sounds of pleasure Gabriella was emitting, Troy gently entered his index and middle finger inside of her.

His name gurgled from her throat in a drawn out groan as he curled his fingers teasingly within her moist depths, her grip on his erection tightening and her strokes becoming more purposeful as he grew within her hand.

Troy continued to tease Gabriella with his fingers as he placed wet kisses down her neck. She cried out, her body jerking as he hit a particularly sensitive nerve deep inside of her, at the same time as his teeth sank down on her neck – right over her pulse.

"Troy?" Gabriella managed to gasp, her hand stilling its movements on his hardened penis.

"Mmm?" he murmured, continuing to suckle on her neck – making it extremely hard for her to remain coherent.

"T...Troy?" she removed her hand from his member, bringing both hands to cup his face – moving him gently away from her neck and forcing him to look up at her, his fingers stilling within her. "Do you...Do you have anything?" she managed, her breathing ragged. "A condom?"

Troy leaned up and kissed her soundly, Gabriella whimpering as his fingers slid from her centre. Without detaching their lips, he rolled them over so that she was beneath him, hooking his thumbs into the elastic of her panties and sliding them down her legs. He moved down the bed with them, pressing gentle kisses down her leg until he reached her feet, pulling her underwear off before standing up and looking down at her.

Gabriella lay back on her bed completely vulnerable, looking up at him with a passion filled gaze, her chest heaving and her face framed by several loose curls. He smiled tenderly down at her and she couldn't help the smile that tugged at her own mouth, watching as he located his wallet in his pants pocket and quickly pulled out a condom before turning back to the bed.

Gabriella threw the comforter down as he crawled back onto the bed, settling himself above her and instigating a slow, lingering kiss. With their lips and tongues still moving together, Troy felt Gabriella's hand find his and she took the condom from him. He broke the kiss, watching her intently as she broke open the silver wrapper and cast it aside. He pulled himself up off her slightly – bracing himself on his hands which rested either side of her shoulders, allowing Gabriella better access to his throbbing member. She wrapped her fist around him and pumped up and down a few times, Troy's arms shaking and threatening to give out on him as his nerves set on fire. She quickly slid the condom over his solid length before bringing her eyes back level with his.

Troy lowered himself onto his elbows and brought his hand to gently caress her face.

"Are you ok?" he murmured.

Gabriella nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to his chin. "Perfect. Are you?"

Troy just smiled, grinding his hips forward - pressing his erection against her opening, the tip of his length sliding between her folds. Gabriella murmured softly as Troy gently moved her legs apart, positioning himself at her entrance. He pressed a tender, sweet kiss to her lips before resting his forehead against hers, their eyes locked as he pushed forward, slowly entering her.

Neither made any effort to move right away as they lay there, revelling in the moment – their bodies joined in the most intimate of ways for the first time since their early college years, emotions running high, both still unable to quite believe that fate had brought them back to this point, but so, so glad that it had.

Troy closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before looking back into her chocolate gaze.

"God I missed you, Gabriella."

Gabriella's stomach flipped, her heart pounding as he kissed her gently.

"I missed you too..."

The admission was their undoing.

Gabriella's hips bucked up to meet his as Troy began to thrust slowly in and out of her. She let out an involuntary low moan as he moved within her before capturing his lips in a searing kiss. Troy shifted his weight slightly as they kissed deeply, both groaning in ecstasy at the sensation.

Gabriella broke the kiss, wrapping one arm around Troy's back, the other hand moving to the back of his head, gently pushing it forward until his forehead was resting against hers. Troy quickened his pace a little, his blue eyes never leaving her face, mesmerized by the way her eyes would close slightly with every thrust he made.

In that moment, they both knew instinctively that this was right. The way their bodies fit so perfectly together, they way they still _knew _each other after so many years apart... They were made for each other, and both were certain that no experience with any other human being could possibly compare with what they were feeling. The sound of their gasps and moans filled the room as they continued to move together, sensations building.

"Holy shit, Ella, you're...fuck..." Troy grunted, pumping into her harder as he felt the beginning of the build towards his climax.

Gabriella arched her back, wrapping her legs around the base of his spine, a strangled moan escaping her as she felt him at a whole new depth. There was a fire building deep within her and she arched her back even further, desperately clawing at the muscles surrounding Troy's shoulder blades as her eyes rolled back in her head.

"Baby, I'm...I'm getting closer..."

Troy's words came out in a groan. He still couldn't quite believe that he was here with her, united as one, moving together in a way he was sure he would never feel her again. But one thing was for certain – there was no place in the world he would rather have been.

"N...no," Gabriella half moaned, half cried. "Wait for me...Troy, I..."

It took a great deal of self-control on Troy's part, but he managed to rip himself from the lust filled fog of his approaching orgasm enough to slide his hands under her back, cradling her to him as he rolled them over so that she was on top, kissing her soundly as they repositioned themselves, falling back into the rhythm they had created.

He pulled her flush against his chest, kissing her again as he drove his hips upwards to meet her grinding friction. Gabriella's body was ablaze with passion, the new angle of his penetration causing her body to tingle with pleasure.

"Oh god, Troy...That's so...Oooh..." she moaned as she kissed him hard, his thrusts becoming faster and more frenzied as his climax approached.

"That's it, baby," Troy cooed in her ear. "You're so beautiful..."

That's when Gabriella snapped.

Stars burst across her vision and her body became rigid as she shuddered through the waves of her orgasm. "Oh my god...God, Troy...Oh God..."

The feeling of her warm channel clenching around him, combined with his frantic thrusting brought Troy over the edge not long after Gabriella, his body twitching and jerking as he called out her name.

Gabriella collapsed on top of Troy, her nose and lips pressed into the crook of his neck as he moved his hands gently over her sticky back. Soft murmurs escaped her as she pressed gentle kisses against his skin, Troy reciprocating by allowing his lips to dust across her shoulder.

"You're so incredible, Gabriella," he whispered, feeling her breath hitch against his chest as he spoke.

Gabriella emitted a contented sigh before lifting her head off his shoulder to look at Troy. She kissed his lips lazily before shifting her hips, his softening member slipping from within her. He removed the condom and discarded it before reaching down to pull the comforter over the both of them. They lay on their sides, facing each other – one of Troy's hands running up and down Gabriella's side, her hand stroking his damp hair off of his face.

"You're amazing," she told him softly, bringing his head forward so that she could brush her lips against his.

He took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her, pulling her to lie against his chest as he rolled onto his back. He gently ran his fingers through her hair – over and over – the repetitive action lulling her into a daze of contentment.

"Stay with me?" she murmured, not really expecting him to leave, but asking the question all the same.

"Of course," he said into her hair, placing a gentle kiss amongst her curls as he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

Gabriella snuggled as close as she could to him, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, allowing his scent to wash over her one last time before she permitted herself to succumb to the pull of a deep and satisfied sleep.

Troy kissed the top of her head once more as her breathing evened out before closing his own eyes and drifting off into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

**Ok...This is the first time I have ever, ever, ever written anything like that in my life. Holds, please don't hate me now! I hope it was ok, I've spent so much time going over it and checking details and asking questions....I had no idea what I was writing hahaha. But hopefully you liked how it turned out, and weren't expecting it to happen at this point – I really wanted to take you all by surprise!**

**You have no idea how many times I just contemplated trailing off and doing a fade to black, changing the rating to T and leaving it to your imaginations, but I persevered and challenged myself – largely thanks to Dani's encouragement – and I did it.... but I have been so nervous about it so if there was ever a time for you to come out of the woodwork and post your thoughts...now is that time!**

**UP NEXT: Where do Troy and Gabi go from here?**

**Please let me know what you thought!**

**Kylie xox**

**PS. As I said, the three girls' dresses are posted in my profile. And the songs I quoted lyrics from were **_**Sexy Back**_** by Justin Timberlake, and **_**Fall for You**_** by Secondhand Serenade. **


	15. Lucky I'm in Love

**Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay in updating...I actually had this chapter ready almost a week ago – I finished it Monday night, and went to sleep thinking 'I'll post it Tuesday morning' and when Tuesday morning rolled around I was woken up at 7am to be told one of my closest friends had passed away half an hour earlier.**

**She was my 'practically little sister' – our families are best friends and we have been bought up as close as sisters. She was 16 and had been fighting an aggressive form of childhood cancer called Neuroblastoma since she was 10. She beat it once but relapsed age 14 and doctors told us there was nothing they could do. Despite their predictions she only had months to live she lasted just over 2 more years, passing away in her father's arms on Tuesday morning. **

**She was the inspiration behind **_**Amazing Grace**_**.**

**Thank you for your patience, and for all your reviews. Thank you to Dani for betaing, as usual...you know how amazing you are. Hope you all enjoy the chapter.**

**Kylie xox**

* * *

**Chapter 15:**** Lucky I'm in Love**

An unfamiliar ringing melody woke Troy the following morning. He lay with his eyes closed for a moment, willing it to stop – and then groaning when it didn't. Opening them begrudgingly, his frown soon turned to a smile as the events of the night before came flooding back.

Looking down at the brunette who was snuggled contentedly within his arms – her smooth, bare skin moulded against his, still sleeping peacefully - he let out a happy sigh.

In that moment, he was fairly certain that things could not have been more perfect.

If it weren't for that incessant ringing.

Glancing around the room he failed to identify the source of the noise, so - as gently as he could – Troy ran his hand up and down Gabriella's arm, which was resting across his abdomen. He pressed a kiss into her hair, softly whispering in her ear.

"Ella...Ella..."

She stirred ever so slightly, her curls ticking Troy's chest as she cuddled even closer into him. The hand caressing her arm moved to her hair, fingers raking gently through.

"Gabriella..."

"Mmm?" Gabriella murmured, her eyes fluttering open before she lifted her head off his bare chest and looked up at him sleepily.

He brushed his hand against her cheek. "Is that your phone ringing?" he asked gently.

"Huh?"

Troy couldn't help but grin at the adorably confused look on her face. "Is that your..."

"Wait, what's ringing?" Gabriella mumbled raspily.

Troy chuckled. "I think it's your phone."

Gabriella cocked her head for a moment, listening, before burying her face in Troy's chest with a groan. "It's my alarm – I keep forgetting to un-set it," she explained, moving herself out of his embrace and groping around for the offending object.

With the irritating ringing successfully thwarted, Gabriella looked back at Troy, the two of them trying to read the other's thoughts. The alarm had been a momentary distraction from any possible 'morning after' awkwardness or signs of regret, but - now that the distraction had been removed – it was time to face reality.

Troy swallowed. He knew he had no regrets. He felt unbelievably happy – arguably to the point of delirium. But did Gabriella feel the same?

Cautiously, he reached out to touch her shoulder. When she didn't pull away, he opened his arms to her, smiling softly.

"Hey, come here you."

A smile tugged at Gabriella's mouth and she bit her lip coyly, cuddling her naked form into his side as he enveloped her in his arms, her head resting comfortably back on his chest and her index finger drawing invisible patterns over his muscles.

"And how are you this morning?" he murmured into her hair.

Gabriella moved against his chest, her tresses tickling the underside of his chin. "Good," she replied.

"Really?" Troy asked, running a hand through her hair, probing for confirmation that she really was alright and not just humouring him.

Gabriella tilted her chin so that she could look him in the eye. "Yes, really," she smiled.

Troy saw the contented, happy light in her eyes and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Good," he said simply.

Gabriella rotated herself so she was laying half on top of Troy, her thigh pressing into his groin – causing him to gasp.

"Troy, last night...it was incredible..." she said softly, Troy reaching up and tracing the side of her face with his index finger. One side of Gabriella's mouth twitched as she continued, trying to remain as serious looking as possible. "Although there is something wrong with the picture this morning..."

Troy's face fell and Gabriella bit back a giggle, resting her chin on his chest and gazing up at him, her brown eyes large and innocent.

"You haven't kissed me good morning yet..." she explained with an innocent smirk.

Troy's face split into a grin, his relief evident. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to fix that, won't I?"

"Mmhmm," Gabriella nodded with a soft giggle, as Troy cupped the back of her head with his hand and pulled her down until their lips met in a chaste kiss.

"Good morning," he murmured against her lips as he pulled back a little.

"Good morning," she replied softly before reconnecting their lips, parting her mouth as they deepened the kiss.

Troy's free hand ran up and down her bare back, Gabriella bringing her own hands to rest either side of his face. She squealed with laughter as Troy suddenly rolled, flipping them so that she was flat on her back beneath him and kissing her soundly.

They broke apart a few moments later, both feeling a little dazed.

"Wow," Gabriella murmured. "_That_ was a good morning kiss."

Troy chuckled. "Yeah," he agreed, his fingers ghosting up and down her arms, causing her to shiver slightly. She brushed her lips against his one more time before pulling back, her hands toying with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"As much as I'd love to lay here with you all day...We really should get up," Gabriella sighed regretfully. "We need to talk, yeah?"

Troy touched his forehead to hers, closing his eyes with a sigh. "Yeah, we do," he agreed, before nudging his nose against hers and rolling off her. "But first, we need breakfast. So I want you to stay right where you are – don't move a muscle, just stay here and chill, okay? And I'll be back in a bit."

"Troy, what are you...?"

"Uh uh," Troy held up a finger, silencing her as he pulled on his boxer briefs. "Not a muscle, remember."

"Okay, okay," Gabriella held up her hands in surrender, flopping back against her pillows.

"Good girl," Troy smirked, kissing her quickly on the lips before leaving the room.

Troy yawned and raised his arms above his head, stretching his back out as he made his way out to the kitchen where he rummaged through the fridge and the cupboards before pulling out a mixing bowl, whisk and some eggs, milk and flour.

He hummed to himself as he began whisking the pancake batter, his mind wandering to the gorgeous young woman who was currently lying beneath the sheets of the bed in the next room.

"Oooh, pancakes!"

Make that the gorgeous young woman who had just appeared in the kitchen - Troy's button up shirt hanging off her petite frame, exposing her delicate shoulder.

"And what exactly do you think you doing out here?" Troy asked with a raise of his eyebrow. "I thought I told you to stay in bed."

Gabriella shrugged, looking up at him from beneath her lowered lashes as she toyed with the cuffs of his shirt. "I missed you," she replied coyly.

Troy couldn't help but smile as he set down the whisk and brushed off his hands, moving over to where she was standing and wrapping his arms around her waist, dipping his head until their lips connected.

"I missed you too," he murmured. "You're absolutely right. Us being in separate rooms is a terrible idea. You are not to leave my side from now on."

"Even to go pee?"

"Even to...No, wait, you can go pee. Peeing I'll allow."

Gabriella giggled, enjoying the easy banter between the two of them. Not even the slightest hint of awkwardness was apparent. "Great, well we're settled on that then."

"Awesome. Now – you, come here," Troy said, muffling Gabriella's squeal with a kiss as he picked her up and carried her over to where he was mixing up the pancake batter, setting her down on the counter. "Can I get you anything?" he asked. "Coffee? Water? OJ?"

"_I'm_ supposed to be asking _you _that – it's my kitchen, remember?" Gabriella laughed.

"Naah," Troy brushed her off, kissing her cheek. "Let me spoil you."

"Ok, I won't argue with that. Orange Juice, please," Gabriella said with a decisive grin. "Not the pulpy one but."

"Coming right up, Madame," Troy said in a posh voice, pouring her a glass of pulp-free juice and handing it to her before turning his attention back to the pancake batter.

Gabriella took a sip of her juice before setting the glass down beside her. A loud beep suddenly sounded through the kitchen, causing her to jump down off the counter.

"SHIT!" she cursed.

"Woah," Troy laughed at her sudden outburst. "What's wrong?"

"That was my cell receiving a text. It suddenly struck me that...We didn't even tell anyone we were leaving last night. My friends must have been wondering where the hell we got to," she said, locating her clutch near her shoes on the floor near the door and pulling out her cell phone. "Oh my god," she muttered to herself as she scrolled through 27 missed calls and 14 texts.

"What?!" Troy repeated.

"They've been trying to get in touch with me since we disappeared – they're going to think we're dead! Or that you dragged me off and murdered me! Or even worse, they're going to know exactly what we were doing!"

Troy couldn't help but laugh. "So let them think what they want. Let them gossip."

"It's not funny, Troy! Listen to this one: _Hey G, you sly dog. Hope you and Mr Dreamboat are safe...in more ways than one!_ Oh god, how embarrassing."

"Ella," Troy soothed, trying to bite back his laughter. "You're 24 years old – you're allowed to have sex."

Gabriella groaned. "They _so_ know I had sex last...TROY – it's not funny!" Gabriella exclaimed, slightly mortified at the ramifications of her spontaneity the previous night. Troy bit his lip and shot her a sympathetic look as she leaned against the counter, Troy's shirt slipping a little bit further off her shoulder, exposing another inch of her sun kissed skin.

"I know, baby. I know,"

Gabriella dipped her finger in the pancake batter and smudged it across Troy's nose. "Not. Funny. And did you just call me _baby?"_ she softened a little as his eyes sparkled.

Troy scrunched up his nose, wiping off the batter with the back of one hand, passing her a plate with the other. "Here. Have a pancake. And gimme your phone."

Gabriella looked at him questioningly but didn't argue, handing her cell over and perching herself on one of the stools at the breakfast bar before drizzling some lemon and a sprinkling of sugar over her pancake.

Troy's fingers whizzed quickly over the keypad of Gabriella's cell, typing out a short text message, selecting multiple recipients and hitting send before setting the phone down and taking a seat next to her with his own plate.

"What did you write?" she asked dubiously.

"_Stop harassing me, I'm fine. I'll ttyl._ Problem solved," Troy said brightly, pressing a kiss on her cheek.

"For now," Gabriella replied with a slight giggle, beginning to see the funny side. "Thank you, though. I'm not that much of a prude, really. It's just that it's a bit of a running joke in our group of friends...they think it's hilarious to discuss my sex life – well, lack of. So I'm not a huge fan of having my private life completely publicised. And Nikita...well, she reminds me of Sharpay Evans in some ways. Give her an inch, she takes a mile."

It was at that very moment her cell phone beeped once more, Gabriella groaning again as she opened the text. "See what I mean?" she said, turning the screen so Troy could see.

_**1 New Message: Nik Cell**_

_OMG! GABI GOT LAID!_

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Just over a half an hour later, Gabriella was finishing up loading the dishwasher when she felt a warm pair of arms wrap comfortably around her from behind and a moist kiss fall upon her neck.

Smiling, she turned in Troy's arms and found his lips pressed gently to hers. She looped her arms loosely around his neck, returning the kiss which was slow and probing.

"Mmm," she murmured against his lips as they parted slightly for air. "I missed your kisses...I only just realised how much."

Troy smirked before kissing her again. He pulled back with a sigh a moment later, resting his forehead against Gabriella's. "We do really need to talk, don't we?"

"Uh huh," she agreed.

"Do you mind if we do it at my place? I kinda wanna get dressed in something other than my underwear for this conversation."

Gabriella giggled, purposely brushing her hand lightly across the front of his Calvin Klein's and smirking when Troy emitted a soft groan. "I like your underwear..." she teased. "But yes – if you can give me ten minutes to have a quick shower and get dressed myself, we can go back to your place."

"Ok, but Gabi...?"

"Yeah?"

"I might need my shirt..."

"Oh..." Gabriella looked down at his shirt that she was wearing, before biting her lip, looking back up at him and pulling it over her head in one swift movement - any bashfulness she had felt after her friends' teasing messages now completely dissipated. "Here you go," she said with a teasing smirk, tossing it to him as he stood in shock, his eyes popped slightly at her brazenness - and her nakedness – as she sauntered towards the bathroom leaving Troy to put on his shirt and pull his pants over his burgeoning arousal the best he could.

Within twenty five minutes Gabriella was showered and dressed in a pair of jeans, white tank top and navy blue zip up hoodie – her damp hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun – and they had driven over to Troy's apartment.

"I'm just going to jump in the shower – you make yourself at home, okay?" Troy told her, disappearing into the bathroom as she slipped off her white ballet flats and flopped onto the sofa. She flipped the TV on, but didn't really pay attention to what she was watching as she became lost in her thoughts – a distant smile gracing her face as she thought back to last night, a flutter of nerves welling in her stomach as she wondered what the outcome of The Talk was going to be: she was either going to be leaving blissfully happy, or broken hearted.

Gabriella was so engrossed in her thoughts she didn't realise Troy was out of the shower until he sat down beside her. He was dressed in a plain white t-shirt and a pair of black Nike basketball shorts and – for the first time – Gabriella took notice of the long, thin scar that ran the length of his kneecap; dotted either side with several tiny, round scars. She traced the white line gently with her finger, sending a shiver through Troy's entire body.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, feeling his shudder. "Did that hurt?"

"No," Troy replied, his voice almost equally as soft. "No, not in the slightest. It's just...You do things to me, Gabriella. You affect me just as much as you did when we were sixteen, seventeen, eighteen...maybe even more so now. I...I don't know what it is, whether it's...or...I just know that I _need_ you, Ella."

"I understand," Gabriella said - her voice barely above a whisper. "It's exactly how I've been feeling. I...I need you too."

Troy placed a comforting hand on her arm, gently rubbing it up and down. "Last night was...Fuck, Ella. You were amazing – _we_ were amazing. I just... Where do we go from here?"

Gabriella swallowed. She knew what she wanted but she didn't want to sway his decision one way or the other. She needed to know that whatever happened – wherever they took things now – it was because it was what they both wanted. "One thing I am certain of is that it's something we need to decide together," she commented finally.

Troy nodded. "Definitely," he agreed. "I know what I want, but...but I don't want your decision to be swayed one way or the other by what I'm thinking. We need to be completely honest with one another here."

Gabriella smiled to herself at his words, Troy oblivious to the fact that he had practically read her mind. "I know what I want, too," she confirmed, and Troy picked up her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She took this as a sign to continue. "I know that when I'm with you it feels right...something that I don't think I've felt, well...ever. Not even when we were together before. I mean - what he had back then was incredible, but what I'm feeling for you now is...I can't even put it into words," she paused for a moment, giggling softly. "And yes, I am aware that I am sounding like a badly written Bold and the Beautiful script but...I can't help it. You just have that effect on me," she teased.

Troy let out a breath, and Gabriella couldn't help but notice it sounded suspiciously like a sigh of relief. When a large grin spread across his face, her suspicions were confirmed. He pulled her to him in a tight hug.

"So do I take this as an 'I feel the same way?'" she asked with a smirk.

Troy pulled back, reaching out to touch her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "I was an idiot to let you go once, Montez. There's no way I'm making the same mistake twice. I meant what I said last night – I really have fallen for you all over again."

Gabriella covered his hand with her own as they both leaned in towards each other, lips meeting in a sweet but meaningful kiss. They broke it after a moment, Gabriella biting her lip as they pulled back.

"So...What does this mean? For..._us,_" she asked carefully.

"I want us to be together, officially, no more of this 'rediscovering our friendship' crap. I want to be able to call you mine, and only mine," he cringed slightly, pulling Gabriella closer to him as he laughed. "And now it's _me _sounding all Bold and the Beautiful!" she giggled, her hand snaking its way around his waist as he continued. "Seriously, though - we've spent six years apart, why waste any more time?"

Troy thought the smile that spread across Gabriella's face was possibly the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

"I couldn't agree more," she breathed, her hand reaching behind his head and pulling him down to kiss her thoroughly. "I can't get you out of my head, Troy. I want an '_us'_ as well. I want to be with you."

Troy grinned and connected their lips once more, sliding his hands under her legs and swinging them up so that they were laying across his lap as he cradled one arm around her back, and one behind her head.

"Having said that, though," Gabriella said once they pulled apart for a breath, "I still think we should take things slowly - each day as it comes. After all – mutual feelings aside - you're still not even two months out of a relationship. We've got all the time in the world – there's no need for us to rush."

Troy nodded. "Absolutely. Whatever it takes, Ella. We just...we have to give this a shot."

Gabriella didn't need to respond with words to show him how she felt about what he had just said. She simply showed him, capturing his lips in a searing kiss. As the kiss deepened, Troy gently laid back on the couch and pulled Gabriella down too, so that she was laying on top of him. His hands fluttered across the exposed skin of her lower back where her hoodie had risen a little, her hands raking through his hair. He held her tightly against him as her tongue ran across his bottom lip, half convinced that if he let her go then he would discover that she wasn't really there with him – that he would wake up and realise it was all a dream.

When they eventually did part for air, Gabriella rested her head on Troy's chest to catch her breath, his arms wrapping around her waist as he dropped a kiss onto the top of her head.

"What are you thinking?" she asked softly, listening to his rapid heartbeat beneath her.

"I'm thinking that we need to consummate this relationship ASAP," Troy replied, deadpan.

"Troy!" Gabriella giggled. "We didn't just get married."

"Details, details," Troy waved off her comment, taking her by surprise as he lifted her easily into his arms. "Come on, you – bedroom. Now."

* * *

**Wouldn't we all like to be ordered back to bed by Troy Bolton? Hope you all enjoyed. Please review and let me know your thoughts!**

**UP NEXT: Settling into a new-old relationship, and Graduation surprises.**

**Please review :)**

**Kylie xox**


	16. With My Best Friend

**With an enormous amount of thanks to Dani for your patience, support, encouragement, 'made-up-on-the-spot' writing exercises, guidance, being a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, my counsellor, my cheerleader, my beta, and my friend. You never give up on me or tell me to take a hike when I get annoyingly annoying, or just...forget how to write. Through everything - especially these past three weeks - you have been a constant in my life where everything else has been turned upside down and I couldn't have gotten through it without you. So yeah...thanks! **

**To everyone else...Thanks for the amazing reviews, here is chapter 16. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 16: With My Best Friend**

"I love you, Mom," Gabriella said into the phone, a slight quiver shaking her voice as she blinked back tears. "You make sure Dr Gould calls me the second the surgery is over, ok? I want to know every detail."

"Of course, sweetheart. There's no need to worry – I'll be fine, I promise. I love you too."

Gabriella sighed, swatting at a tear that managed to escape. "I love you," she repeated. "Bye Mom."

As soon as she set down her phone Troy's arms were around her – the display of comfort and affection was all it took for Gabriella's brave face to crumble as she burst into tears. It had been almost a week since Gabriella's graduation ball, and her and Troy's newly re-formed relationship was flourishing. The two had spent almost every spare moment together since the previous Saturday, and were growing closer by the day.

"Hey, shhh," Troy soothed, rubbing her back gently as he sat down on his bed, pulling her onto his lap and rocking her back and forth. "Shh, come on El, she's gonna be fine – it's going to be okay."

"I know she will," Gabriella sobbed. "But she's my mom, and I can't help but worry. I want to be there for her so badly."

"I get that," Troy said softly, "completely. But just think – you graduate tomorrow, and it's only a few days until orientation at Boston Children's, then you can go and see her."

Gabriella's sobs gradually began to subside and she nodded against Troy's chest. "Yeah...yeah, I know. I'm sorry..." through the sniffles a light giggle sounded as she pulled back from Troy and dabbed at the damp patch she'd left on his t-shirt. "I wet your shirt."

"Eh," Troy shrugged nonchalantly, peeling off the t-shirt and casting it aside. "Problem solved," he said cheekily, causing Gabriella to smile, her eyes shimmering with the last of her tears which Troy quickly kissed away. "And don't you dare apologise – you haven't done anything wrong."

"Except be a big cry baby," Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Like I said – you haven't done anything wrong," Troy replied simply, punctuating his sentence with a kiss pressed to her forehead. "Now. I understand you are worried about your mom, but I'm not going to let you sit here and pace until Dr Gould calls – because we both know that won't be for hours, and we both know that's exactly what you'd do. So I'm taking you for coffee and cake – before you say anything, calories don't count on days of the week that end in 'y' – and then if the weather holds out, maybe the park or the harbour for a walk?"

Gabriella looked up at him, her chin resting against his bare chest and her arms wrapped loosely around his waist. "Thank you, Troy," she said softly. She didn't need to say anything else for him to know that she truly meant it. She wasn't stupid – no matter what ramble he had fed her about malfunctioning sprinklers and flooding in the school gym, she knew he had taken an extra day off work so he could be with her while she waited for news about Maria (even though he had already booked the following day off to attend her graduation), and she appreciated it more than he would ever know.

Troy felt his phone vibrate in his pocket suddenly, and didn't need to look at the caller ID to know who it was. He dug around in his other pocket for his car keys and gently pried Gabriella off him, handing them to her.

"Here, you go down and wait in the car – I'm just going to grab another shirt and use the bathroom," he said, needing to get her out of his apartment ASAP.

"Oh...okay," Gabriella replied, slightly confused. She took his keys nonetheless, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'll just...see you downstairs," she told him before slipping on her brown flip flops and letting herself out of his apartment.

Troy waited until he heard the faint _ping _of the elevator leaving his floor before whipping out his cell and redialling the number of his last missed call.

"Hi Taylor, it's Troy...Yeah, sorry – Gabi was with me...Oh, awesome...Uh huh...Okay, yep...Yep, no worries...Okay, bye."

Troy couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he headed to his bedroom to get a clean shirt. He set his cell phone down as he rummaged through his drawers - pausing for as moment, however, as he was struck by a sudden idea.

He pulled the first t-shirt he found over his head before grabbing his cell and scrolling through his contacts.

It was crazy, and it was a long shot...but it just might work out.

"Chad, man – how are you doing? Listen, I've got a huge favour to ask...How soon can you get on a plane?"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy and Gabriella walked hand-in-hand through the door of Second Cup Cafe a short while later, taking a seat at their favourite table in the corner.

Before either could pick up a menu, a bright voice chirped "Good morning Troy, Gabriella. What can I get for you today? The usual?"

Gabriella stifled a giggle, as Troy blinked up at the pretty young waitress. "Uh...Yeah, thanks Kayla. That would be great."

After Kayla had bounced away, Troy turned to Gabriella. "Since when have we all been on first name basis?" he asked incredulously. "Do we really come here _that_ often?"

Gabriella laughed, nodding. "Uh, yeah – we kinda do."

"Wow," Troy said. "We really do, don't we?"

Gabriella shrugged. "What can I say, we're creatures of habit," she teased, raising one eyebrow pointedly.

The double meaning was not lost on Troy, who picked up her hand and kissed it gently, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. "Well, I like habit," he replied with a grin.

The pair were snapped from their own little bubble when Kayla returned with their order.

"Ok, so we have a Vanilla Chai for you Gabriella, and here's your Hazelnut Latte Troy. Cake of the day is Double Chocolate Fudge - I took it upon myself to cut you an extra large slice, with whipped cream. Oh, and two forks of course," she grinned as she placed the cutlery down.

"Oh yum!" Gabriella exclaimed. "Thanks so much, that's so sweet!"

"Wow, that looks awesome," Troy told Kayla, his stomach growling at the sight of the delicious looking cake. "Thanks!"

"No problem," Kayla replied happily, her eyes taking in Gabriella and Troy's joined hands. "You two are my favourite customers – it's so nice to see a couple so...so happy. You're just too cute together!"

Gabriella blushed, casting her eyes downward, and Troy squeezed her hand.

"Uh...Thanks," Troy said, embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand.

Kayla smiled. "It's just the truth. Well, I'd better get back to work...enjoy the cake!"

With a small wave, the pretty young waitress disappeared back behind the counter, leaving Troy and Gabriella to their coffee and cake.

With distraction in the form of the bubbly, chatty Kayla now gone, Troy observed Gabriella's body language – her brow creased slightly, teeth gnawing at her bottom lip, hand opening and closing her phone every few seconds...She was as anxious as hell and Troy knew it.

He gently removed her phone from her hand and placed in on the table in front of her, taking her hand in his. He stroked his thumb back and forth across her soft skin, trying to think of something remotely intelligent to say that would take her mind off her worries.

"So... How 'bout them Lakers, huh?"

The worry-related creases in Gabriella's forehead suddenly disappeared as she burst out laughing, her reaction catching Troy slightly by surprise. "You honestly didn't just use that as a conversation starter, did you?" she laughed. "This is _me_ you're with."

Troy grinned sheepishly. "Well, you pick the topic then, if you're so smart," he teased – willing to go along with anything that would keep her smiling.

"Ok," Gabriella said, her eyes glinting. "Did you know that your stomach produces a new layer of mucus each week so that it doesn't eat itself? Uh huh," she reinforced with an enthusiastic nod when Troy raised his eyebrow. "And your intestines – they mrrrghwrmmph..."

Gabriella was cut off, and Troy laughed at Gabriella's expression – her eyes wide with surprise as she chewed furiously on the forkful of chocolate cake and whipped cream he had shoved into her mouth.

"What?" Troy asked innocently. "Your mucus-ey stomach was asking me for it!" he defended, reaching out to wipe away a blob of whipped cream which had stuck to her lip.

Gabriella choked a little on the huge mouthful, before swallowing and glaring at Troy. "Not funny!" she declared, although the smile tugging at the corners of her lips suggested otherwise.

"You're so cute when you try to look mad," Troy teased.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "That cake is too good to be mad," she stated, carefully breaking off another forkful of the chocolaty concoction, closing her eyes as she chewed. "Mmm..."

All of a sudden her phone began to dance across the table and Gabriella almost jumped off her seat in her haste to answer, not bothering to check the caller ID. "Hello??" she said frantically, her smile disappearing with the rapid return of her anxiety. "Oh, hi Tay," her face fell. "Sorry, I just...I thought it was going to be Dr Gould...Yeah, no not yet...Of course I will – hey, where are you? I can barely hear you...Oh, okay...Yeah, thanks Taylor. Bye."

"Taylor?" Troy asked even though he knew it was her, re-taking Gabriella's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah," Gabriella replied, setting her phone back on the table and quickly wiping her eyes – determined not to get upset.

Troy's heart ached seeing her anxiety and concern, unable to even imagine himself in her position – if it was his own mother in surgery thousands of miles away. He stood from his chair, moving around to Gabriella's side of the table and squatting beside her seat before reaching up and tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

"She'll be ok, El. Dr Gould will call, and everything will be fine – you'll see. Your mom is a strong, strong lady...just like her beautiful daughter," he told her sincerely, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand as he spoke.

"Thanks, Troy," Gabriella murmured, her boyfriend wiping the tears that now fell down her cheeks – tears of worry and fear mixed with tears of happiness and gratefulness. "I really...I'm just so...I know I said it before but thanks for...for being here."

Troy pulled her into a tight hug, pressing a firm kiss against her forehead. "Don't mention it – I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be," he told her as he gently released her from his grasp and returned to his seat, draining the last of his coffee and forking one final mouthful of cake – pushing the last bite towards Gabriella. "Here, eat this – it'll make you feel better, I promise – and then we'll get out of here. Go for a drive and just chill."

Gabriella smiled softly and gave him a small nod. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

Troy took the long route to their destination, wanting to prolong the time he and Gabriella were sat side by side – chatting on and off as he drove - for as long as possible. So it was over a half an hour later that Gabriella climbed out of Troy's car as he pulled up at Boston Harbour and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.

"I love the smell of the ocean air," she commented. "It's so...fresh."

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist from behind and she tensed momentarily before relaxing into Troy's embrace. He kissed her cheek softly before whispering in her ear.

"Hey, what would you say if I suggested a picnic lunch?"

Gabriella smiled and turned herself in his arms so she was facing him, wrapping her arms around his waist and nodding her head. "Yeah, that would be perfect," she decided.

"Of course, by 'picnic' I mean burgers and ice cream by the water...I'm pretty sure I have a blanket in the trunk of the car, so it might just pass as one..." he scratched his chin in a dramatisation of a 'thoughtful' look.

Gabriella rose onto her tip-toes and pressed her lips against his, taking him by surprise. He came to his senses quickly, however, pulling him flush against him and accepting the deep kiss she was instigating.

"Wow, what was that for?" he said – still slightly dazed – when Gabriella broke the kiss a moment later.

Gabriella shrugged. "Just for being you," she told him, reaching down to join their hands. "Come on – let's walk."

The pair walked in a comfortable silence – interrupted only once by the buzz of Gabriella's phone: she jumped a little, before realising it was just a text – her friend Mya was checking in to see how Maria was, and confirming details for their graduation the following day. They continued walking until they reached the pier which they wandered out onto, hands linked loosely – comfortably – together.

Gabriella let go of Troy's hand, leaning on the railing and looking out at the water where a fishing boat was making its way back to the dock. Troy moved behind her, resting his hands either side of hers on the railing, caging her in. He pressed a kiss to the back of her head before resting his chin on her shoulder. He could tell she was deep in thought, and that it was probably about her mother, but he decided to see if she wanted to talk about it anyway.

"What's on your mind, pretty girl?" he asked gently.

"This and that," Gabriella replied softly. "Mostly Mom. How I wish Dr Gould would hurry up and call. But also how peaceful the water looks out there, despite the hustle and bustle of the boats and the city behind us. How good that chocolate cake was," she giggled for a moment before her face became serious again, and she turned to look up at Troy – her eyes full of sincerity. "And how happy I am that I'm here with you..."

Troy's hands were still resting either side of her, and he leaned his head forward so that their foreheads were touching. Both closed their eyes as their noses rubbed together gently, savouring the intimacy of the moment, before Troy brushed his lips against Gabriella's – just barely. He pulled back slightly to make sure she was okay, and then kissed her again.

The sound and vibration of Gabriella's phone ringing in her pocket jerked the pair from their reverie, Gabriella's hands shaking almost violently as she fumbled to pull out her phone and answer it.

"Hello?"

Troy knew the identity of the caller immediately, just from Gabriella's facial expressions. He took her hand in his, giving it a gentle, supportive squeeze - letting Gabriella know he was there. The fact that Gabriella had begun to smile whilst speaking to Dr Gould triggered a flood of hope that rose through Troy, until he couldn't help but smile as well.

It was good news – it had to be.

His gut feeling was confirmed when the phone call wrapped up with a grateful expression of thanks from Gabriella, before she hung up and threw herself into Troy's arms. He caught her with a grin as she buried her face in his neck and spun her around and around.

"She's okay! She's okay! Everything went perfectly; she's going to be fine! She's okay!" Gabriella repeated over and over, tears of relief streaming down her face as Troy set her down and kissed her hard on the mouth before hugging her tightly against him and peppering the top of her head with feather-soft kisses.

"That's such good news, Ella – I just knew it, I knew everything would be alright. She's made of steel, your mom!"

Gabriella pulled back and nodded, happy tears still damp on her cheeks and a huge smile gracing her face, her eyes bright once more.

"She is, she's amazing."

"Come on," Troy said, wrapping one arm around Gabriella and beginning to walk her back up the pier. "This calls for a real celebration! Burgers and double scoop ice cream cones all 'round!"

"Wow, that's a real celebration, Troy," Gabriella giggled, Troy revelling in the sound of her laughter.

He grinned cheekily at her. "Who said anything about lunch being the _real_ celebration," he said with a raise of his eyebrow. "No, no – that comes later...back at my place..."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

The following morning, Troy arrived at Gabriella's apartment building fifteen minutes before he had told her he would be there, and loitered around the front door - praying she didn't come downstairs for some reason.

After seven minutes of nervous pacing, a bright yellow cab pulled up in front of where he was standing on the sidewalk. He grinned as the voices of his childhood brother and Gabriella's best friend floated towards him, Taylor squealing with excitement when she saw him standing there.

"Troy!" she exclaimed happily as she set down her bag and gave him a friendly hug. "It's good to see you again – we didn't exactly, uh...get the chance to catch up last time," Taylor said, referring to her last visit, when she had arrived in the midst of Gabriella's heartache over Troy, who was still with Alexis at the time.

"Yeah..."Troy replied awkwardly. "Well, it's good to see you too! Thanks so much for coming!"

"Well well well, Troy Bolton – how the fuck are you, man?" Chad Danforth grinned as he and Troy clapped their hands in a tight handshake before exchanging a brotherly hug.

"Never better, man, never better," Troy replied with a smile.

"I see that Gabriella has snapped your ass out of that male depression you had going on a couple months back. Good to see."

Troy rolled his eyes. "How were your flights? Did you find each other ok at the airport?"

"Yes," Taylor replied. "It's not hard to spot that hair in a crowd. Chad's flight was delayed a little, but I could see him disembarking from a mile off when it eventually did land," she joked, Chad patting his hair – which was still as bushy as ever – proudly.

"Yeah, we had a great old catch up on the drive over. I still can't believe you were dating a guy named Robert Bobby," Chad smirked, glancing at Taylor. "Robby Bobby," he sniggered. "Can you believe it Bolton?"

"I can't believe I dated someone named Chad Danforth," Taylor muttered under her breath, causing Troy to snort with laughter.

Despite their break up almost seven years earlier and lack of contact since, Chad and Taylor were still quite the comic duo – Troy knew that he and Gabriella were in for a lot of laughs over the next couple of days.

"Anyway," he spoke up - distracting Chad and Taylor from their squabble, "Plan is - I'm going to go upstairs and see Ella. You two wait here until I give you the signal – I'll call Chad's phone, let it ring twice and hang up – and then come up. Here is the number and everything," he explained, handing over a post-it. "Just knock on the door and I'll get Ella to open it and...yeah..." he trailed off, shoving his hands in his pockets nervously.

Taylor picked up on his apprehension and smiled. "You've done a really great thing, Troy. She'll be so excited."

Troy relaxed a little. "Thanks, Taylor."

Taylor shrugged. "No problem. And just for the record, I'm very pleased for the two of you. Gabriella sounds really happy – genuinely happy – over the phone."

Troy grinned, looking down at his feet. "Thanks."

"Oh, but Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"If you fuck her over again, I'll smash your fucking head in."

Troy gulped. "Right."

Upstairs, Gabriella was pacing around in her bathroom, preparations for her graduation ceremony well and truly underway. She had washed and dried her hair, applied her makeup – which was simple but flawless - and was now waiting for her hair straightener to heat up so that she could transform her unruly ebony curls.

Still adorned in her fluffy white robe, she heard the sound of knocking at her apartment door - knowing instantly that it was Troy. She rushed out to answer the door, unable to control the smile that was spreading across her face.

"Hey!" Gabriella exclaimed warmly, her breath catching slightly in her throat as she took in his appearance. Black dress pants secured with a black leather belt, white button up shirt – tucked into his pants, but with the sleeves rolled back twice - to mid forearm – a sky blue silk tie completing the outfit...he looked amazing. "Wow, you look _haaandsome_," she told him, her tone teasing in an attempt to cover the butterflies that seemed to gather in her stomach every time she saw him.

Troy grinned at Gabriella, his hands slipping around her waist and pulling her close, allowing him to kiss her soundly on the lips. "And look at you," he said as he pulled back, Gabriella smiling somewhat dazedly up at him. "Completely rocking the bath robe look. Although I have to admit, I wasn't aware terry-towelling was the fabric of choice in Graduation outfits this season."

"I'm still getting ready," Gabriella informed him with a roll of her eyes. "I just have to straighten my hair and get dressed. I won't be long."

Troy followed her into the bathroom, content to watch her primp and get ready - he loved watching everything that Gabriella did. After so many years apart, he hated the thought of missing a single moment with her.

"You nervous?" he asked, hoisting himself onto the counter next to the sink as Gabriella clipped up the top layers of her hair and slipped her straightener expertly through the bottom layers.

"Not really," she shrugged, pulling the next layer of hair from the clip and straightening out the curls. "More like relieved, you know?"

Troy nodded. "I get it. I was the same. It was like this massive build up to the point where I was just so ready for it to be over and done with."

"Exactly," Gabriella agreed, unclipping the top layer of her hair and working the straightener through. Troy picked the clip up off the counter and began to fiddle with it, looking up in concern when Gabriella sighed. "It's just..."

"Just...?" Troy prompted, jumping down off the counter and moving to wrap his arms around Gabriella's waist, dropping a kiss in her silky straight hair. Gabriella reached around him to set her straightener down, before settling herself against his chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, his scent comforting and familiar. She felt him run his hand through her hair and kiss her again. "Just what, Ella?"

"I wish my mom was here," she mumbled into his shirt.

Troy cuddled her tighter. "I know you do, but just think – in a weeks' time you'll be right by her side."

He felt Gabriella nod against his chest and couldn't help but smile as he thought of his surprise for her – a surprise which he was about to set in motion. He pulled out his phone and pressed 'dial' letting it ring twice before hanging up.

"Um...Hey, El?" he began.

"Yeah?" Gabriella replied, pulling back from his chest to look at Troy as he spoke.

"I know you're really missing your mom right now but...well, I might just have something that will make up for that just a little bit..."

Right on cue, there was a knock on the door.

Gabriella's nose crinkled in confusion and Troy impulsively kissed the tip of it, enchanted by the adorable look on her face.

"Who...?" she wondered aloud, looking at Troy as if he held the answer.

"Don't look at me," he told her, trying to keep as straight a face as possible. "Go on, answer it!"

She looked at him suspiciously, her eyes narrowed. "What are you up to Troy Bolton?"

He held his hands up. "Me? Nothing...Now go and answer the door!"

Gabriella continued to glance back at him with an expression of suspicion as she headed out of the bathroom and towards the door, Troy trailing behind her as she placed her hand on the knob and turned, opening the door slowly.

"I hear someone around here is graduating today?"

"OH MY GOD!" Gabriella shouted - shocked, frozen to the spot.

Taylor stepped aside, revealing Chad standing there as well.

"Wow, Gabriella, look at you – even in a bathrobe you're just as pretty as ever!"

* * *

**Up next: A graduation to remember.**

**Please review :) It really makes my day.**

**Kylie xox**


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